/7 


MILLS   OF   GOD 


OF  CALIF.  LIBRAE.  LOS 


MILLS  OF  GOD 

A  Novel 

By 
Elinor  Macartney  Lane 


New  York 

D.  Appleton  and  Company 
1906 


COPYRIGHT,  1901, 
BY  D.   APPLETON   AND  COMPANY. 


TO 

FRANCIS   RANSOM   LANE. 

If  there  be  aught  in  Robin  Killduff's  words 

Of  bravery  or  breeding  ;  if  the  tale 

Set  forth  that  conduct  which  would  most  become 

A  scholar  and  a  gentleman  ; 

If  love  be  there,  selfless  and  true  and  high, 

And  loyalty  enduring  till  the  end  ; 

If  there  be  aught  of  these — they  come  from  thec  ; 

Take  thou  the  praise,  for  thine  indeed  it  is. 

E.  M.  L. 

December,  1900. 


2131019 


••  Though  the  Mills  of  God  grind  slowly, 

Yet  they  grind  exceeding  small ; 
Though  with  patience  stands  He  waiting, 
With  exactness  grinds  He  all." 

LONGFELLOW. 

"  The  moving  finger  writes,  and  having  writ, 
Moves  on  ;  nor  all  your  Piety  nor  wit 
Shall  lure  it  back  to  cancel  half  a  line, 
Nor  all  your  tears  wash  out  a  word  of  it." 
OMAR  KHAYYAM. 


PREFACE 


THE  events  which  are  here  set  forth  I 
had  by  way  of  my  father,  John  MacLaren 
Macartney,  who  received  the  papers  direct 
from  his  uncle,  Robin  Killduff. 

As  Mr.  Killduff  says  little  of  himself  in 
the  story,  it  may  be  of  interest  to  know 
that  at  the  time  my  father  knew  him  he 
was  an  unusually  tall  old  gentleman,  a  bit 
daft  on  the  subject  of  breeding,  with  an 
enormous  quantity  of  iron-gray  hair,  a  large 
face  with  high  cheek-bones,  and  very  fine 
and  faithful  eyes.  He  was  disposed,  espe- 
cially as  he  grew  older,  to  be  extremely 
arbitrary  about  small  affairs,  given  to  the 
consumption,  at  unseasonable  hours,  of  ex- 


Mills  of  God 

traordinary  amounts  of  oaten  cake,  and  to 
assaulting  the  flute  in  the  late  hours  of  the 
night,  which  many  testify  he  played  more 
vilely  than  any  other  has  ever  done  before 
or  since.  He  was  much  given  to  outdoor 
sports,  and  to  the  end  of  his  life  was  never 
seen  without  two  or  three  dogs  racing  at 
his  heels.  He  was  noted  for  his  constancy, 
both  in  his  loves  and  hates — one  of  the  lat- 
ter being  toward  Lady  Bedford,  "  who,"  he 
told  my  father,  "  was  a  chattering  body  of 
no  great  moment,  one  way  or  another "  ; 
although  in  his  story  he  has  ever  spoken  of 
her  with  great  compliment  and  fairness. 
Of  the  love  and  honour  in  which  he  was 
held  in  the  country-side  it  is  needless  to 
speak.  Twice  in  his  later  life  he  was  asked 
to  stand  for  Congress — an  honour,  however, 
which,  with  great  dignity  and  simplicity, 
he  declined. 

The   tale,  just   as   Mr.   Killduff   set   it 
down,  I  think  can  injure  none.     It  carries 


Mills  of  God 

its  own  note  of  warning.  I  have  made 
few  changes,  and  those  only  to  leave  out, 
here  and  there,  pages  of  panegyrics  on 
Lady  Elinor  which  would  be  but  tedious 
reading  for  the  general.  If  it  be  unwise 
to  mention,  although  but  hiddenly,  a  royal 
scandal,  the  traditions  of  which  are  still 
rife  along  the  banks  of  the  river  James, 
I  offer  as  an  excusing  that  it  was  at  the 
root  of  the  whole  trouble  ;  and  then,  too, 
it  is  a  great  relieving  of  my  mind,  for  the 
story,  in  broken  parts,  has  lived  with  me 
ever  since  I  was  a  child.  I  have  sat  for 
hours  before  the  pictured  loveliness  of 
Elinor  Grafton  ;  and  the  unsigned  portrait 
of  Madame  Dulany,  with  the  Madonna 
face  and  the  sorrowful  lips,  was  for  many 
years  the  first  thing  upon  which  my  child- 
ish eyes  rested  each  morning  as  I  awakened. 
My  favourite  playing-place  was  in  the  fam- 
ily burying-ground,  and  many  times  I  have 
lain  amid  the  tall  grasses,  contemplating 


Mills  of  God 

with  uncomprehending  eyes  the  inscription 
on  the  stone  which  marks  the  last  resting- 
place  of  a  man — Robin  Killduff  MacLaren 
by  name — who  was  great  and  strong  and 
true,  and,  what  is  finest  of  all,  loyal  to  the 
end.  At  his  own  request,  his  grave  was 
beside  that  of  Lady  Elinor,  and  under- 
neath the  date  and  age  was  graven  upon 
the  stone  : 

"  From  him  that  hath  not  shall  be  taken  away 
even  that  which  he  hath." 

ELINOR  MACARTNEY  LANE. 
VIRGINIA,  April,  ipoo. 


LIST   OF  ILLUSTRATIONS 


FACING 
PAGE 


Elinor,  Lady  Grafton Frontispiece 

By  Jane  Bridgham  Child 

Henry,  Lord  Bedford 60 

By  Henry  Hudson  Kitson 

Anne  Dulany 194 

By  Jane  Bridgham  Child 

Robin  Killduff 276 

By  Gertrude  Kasebier 


MILLS    OF   GOD 


CHAPTER   I 

THERE  was  in  Virginia,  about  twenty 
miles  above  the  tide-water  of  the  James,  in 
the  year  of  grace  seventeen  hundred  ninety- 
eight,  an  old  mansion,  set  well  back  from 
the  river,  on  a  wooded  eminence  of  its  own. 
It  was  a  romantic-looking  place,  built  after 
the  manner  of  so  many  of  the  colonial 
houses,  with  a  main  building,  the  five  large 
pillars  of  which  were  carried  upward  to  the 
roof,  and  two  wings,  one  on  either  side, 
which  ran  far  back,  forming  an  inclosed 
court  in  the  rear,  in  which  were  the  domes- 
tic offices.  It  was  built  of  the  light-coloured 
brick,  which  had  been  brought  from  Eng- 
land many  years  before,  and,  although  fallen 


Mills  of  God 

into  disrepair,  it  was  still  a  solid  and  sincere 
old  house,  from  which  the  land  sloped  very 
gradually  on  the  east  toward  the  river,  and 
on  the  west  with  great  abruptness,  through 
the  wooded  land,  to  the  brook  which  sepa- 
rated the  estate  from  the  neighbouring  one 
of  Deepdeen.  The  place  had  remained  un 
tenanted  from  the  time  of  the  Treaty  of 
Paris  until  the  year  mentioned,  when  it  be- 
came, by  purchase  from  the  Government, 
which  had  seized  it  for  unpaid  taxes,  the 
property  of  some  Irish  people  named 
Dulany. 

Rumour  soon  began  to  spread  through 
the  country-side  of  the  chests  of  tapestries 
and  silver  plate,  the  paintings  and  brocades, 
which  were  being  brought,  by  almost  every 
ship  of  merchandise  which  came  to  port, 
for  the  redecoration  of  the  old  house. 
There  were  great  carved  doors  and  case- 
ments of  oak  from  Flanders,  mahogany 
furniture  from  France,  mirrors  and  glass- 
2 


Mills  of  God 

ware  from  Venice,  which  set  the  whole 
county  agog  with  talk  of  the  recklessness 
of  expenditure. 

Of  all  this  I  speak  but  by  hearsay,  as  it 
was  before  my  time,  my  intimate  knowl- 
edge of  these  affairs  beginning  a  little  later, 
upon  my  arrival  in  America. as  under-secre- 
tary  to  Sir  William  Grafton,  of  the  younger 
branch  of  the  house  of  the  great  duke,  who 
was  seeking  to  mend  the  family  fortunes  by 
some  ventures  in  the  New  World.  It  was 
for  some  remembered  kindness  of  my  fa- 
ther's to  him  when  they  were  lads  together 
at  Christ  Church,  Oxford,  that  the  post 
was  offered  to  me,  nor  had  I  ever  seen  Sir 
William  when  his  letter  came  to  my  father's 
home  in  Scotland.  I  was  young  and  raw, 
slow  of  speech,  and  making  no  figure  in 
society,  and  it  may  be  easily  seen  that  I 
looked  upon  a  visit  to  the  States  with  some 
pleasure  and  excitement. 

On  my  arrival  at  Deepdeen,  which  was 
3 


Mills  of  God 

the  name  given  the  Grafton  estate,  I  found 
Sir  William  to  be  a  gentleman  of  about  the 
age  of  my  father,  although  much  better  pre- 
served, tall  and  of  a  commanding  presence, 
but  with  kind  and  genial  eyes.  I  found 
him  later  to  be  a  singularly  just  man,  a  bit 
bookish  and  of  a  dry  nature,  given  to  telling 
long  stories  with  endless  detail  and  little 
point,  which  made  him  ever  tedious  in  con- 
versation, but  in  all  his  business  enterprises, 
whether  in  fish  or  fur,  showing  an  unusual- 
ly sagacious  mind,  and  withal  remaining 
to  this  day  my  ideal  of  gentlemanly  be- 
haviour. 

I  had  been  a  little  above  two  months 
in  the  country  when  the  news  was  spread 
abroad  that  the  owners  of  the  new-gar- 
mented house  were  daily  expected,  and  one 
June  evening  Sir  William  and  I,  having 
but  just  come  in  from  the  far  tobacco  fields, 
we  learned  of  their  arrival  from  Sandy,  the 
Jack  o'  Lantern.  Sandy,  a  scarlet-haired, 
4 


Mills  of  God 

white-faced,  impish  child,  of  any  age  be- 
tween seven  and  eleven,  belonged  to  some 
people  who  lived  in  a  singular  collection  of 
outhouses,  cows,  goats,  dogs,  and  many 
young  of  the  human  species,  over  on  Buler's 
Creek.  He  probably  had  a  surname,  but 
until  this  day  I  have  never  heard  it,  being 
known  far  and  wide  by  the  gentlefolk,  to 
whom  he  had  commended  himself  by  force 
of  his  whimsical  intelligence,  as  the  Jack 
o'  Lantern.  He  came  around  the  corner 
of  the  house  at  a  dead  run,  stopping  so 
short  in  front  of  us  that  I  made  sure  he 
must  have  gone  far  toward  dislocating  his 
neck. 

"They've  come,"  he  said. 

"Who?"  Sir  William  inquired. 

He  made  no  answer  in  words,  but  lifted 
his  arm  toward  the  Dulany  house,  lowered 
it  in  an  impersonal  manner,  and  dug  his 
toes  into  the  gravel  of  the  walk. 

"How  many  have  come?"  I  inquired. 
*  5 


Mills  of  God 

"  There  wath  Her,"  he  answered,  for  he 
had  a  lisping  in  his  speech,  "  and  two 
otherth,  and  the  woman  with  the  face  and 
two  men  and  two  leafths." 

"Two  which?" 

"  Leafths  ;  out  of  bookth,  you  know." 

"  Leaves  out  of  books,"  I  repeated, 
something  muddled. 

"  Pages,  perhaps,"  suggested  Sir  Wil- 
liam. 

Sandy  nodded  in  the  affirmative.  "  Yeth, 
leafths.  They  carried  thingth.  One  had 
a  thplendid  green  bird  that  talked,  and  there 
wath  one  who  thpoke  different,  and  Her, 
and  peoples  and  bundles." 

"  And  her  ?  "  I  suggested. 

"  Yeth,"  he  said,  "  and  Her." 

"  What  is  she  like  ?"  Sir  William  asked, 
amused  at  the  way  the  child  dwelt  on  this 
one  person. 

"She  ith  tall,"  he  answered,  "and  her 
hair  ith  like  thith,"  and  he  touched  the 
6 


Mills  of  God 


black  velvet  of  Sir  William's  coat,  "and  her 
eyes  like  blue  starth,  and  the  rest  all  thtand 
and  look  at  her,  and  when  she  smilth  she 
maketh  you  feel  queer.  She  ith  thplendid. 
I  went  bethide  Her." 

"  Ah,  indeed  ! "  said  Sir  William. 

"  Yeth,  "  Sandy  went  on,  "  and  she  gave 
me  thith." 

He  drew  out  a  bright  golden  guinea 
from  his  pocket. 

"  She  gave  every  one  thomething,  and 
laughed,  but  the  rest  got  white  pieces.  I 
wath  the  only  one  who  got  yellow.  She 
likth  me.  She  said  who  lived  over  here, 
and  I  told  her." 

"  Would  it  be  indiscreet  to  inquire  what 
you  were  moved  to  impart  ?  "  Sir  William 
asked  in  an  over-polite  manner. 

"  I  said  there  wath  you,"  here  he  in- 
dicated Sir  William  ;  "  and  that  you  wath 
nith — and  I  thaid  there  wath  him,"  point- 
ing toward  me ;  "  and  that  he  wath  nith 

7 


Mills  of  God 


too,  but  ugly  ;  and  that  he  made  a  noise  on 
a  whitthle  that  wath  terrible." 

"  From  which  I  am  to  gather  that  you 
do  not  like  my  flute-playing,"  I  observed 
gravely. 

41  It  hurth,"  he  answered,  with  an  un- 
mistakable gesture  of  covering  his  ears  with 
his  hands,  and,  in  a  moment  more,  was 
gone  at  a  headlong  gait  to  spread  the  news 
further. 

"And  Her— and  Her— and  Her."  San- 
dy's story  often  comes  back  to  me.  It  was 
to  be  the  story  of  my  life.  And  Her — and 
Her — and  Her. 

It  was  not  long  before  I  came  to  have 
more  accurate  knowledge  of  our  new  neigh- 
bours, and  I  found  the  family  proper  to  con- 
sist of  but  three  persons.  Mistress,  or,  as 
she  came  to  be  called,  Madame  Dulany, 
who  looked  still  very  young  (although  Miss 
Elinor  would  be  sixteen  at  the  time),  was 
a  tall,  dark-looking  body,  who  seemed  to 
8 


Mills  of  God 

have  but  badly  sustained  some  tragedy  in 
the  past.  She  would  be  constantly  looking 
over  her  shoulder,  as  though  in  fear  of 
something,  and  had  a  way  of  starting  sen- 
tences which  she  would  never  finish,  but, 
allowing  her  voice  to  trail  off  into  silence, 
would  forget  your  very  presence  with  her 
eyes  fixed  on  you.  Not  that  she  was  al- 
ways thus,  for  I  have  seen  her,  when  some 
wrong  was  named,  especially  such  wrongs 
as  are  done  to  women,  flash  out  of  her 
quiet  with  such  fire  and  vehemence  as  to 
carry  everything  before  her.  Little  was 
said  of  her  past.  Her  husband,  an  officer 
in  the  Irish  Dragoons  it  was  given  out,  had 
lost  his  life  in  India  the  year  of  Miss  Eli- 
nor's birth,  since  which  time  Madame  had 
done  little  but  travel  from  one  country 
of  Europe  to  another.  Always  keeping 
Madame  close  company  might  be  found 
Mistress  Randolph,  a  distant  kinswoman 
and  superior  kind  of  housekeeper  or  under 
9 


Mills  of  God 

friend,  with  a  figure  like  a  meal  sack  tied 
in  the  middle,  a  fat  face  and  sleepy  eyes, 
but  orderly,  orthodox,  and  sympathetic, 
with  a  wonderful  gift  at  silence  and  a 
shrewd  eye  for  management. 

And  of  her,  of  Miss  Elinor,  the  daugh- 
ter and  only  child  of  the  house,  even  at  this 
day,  when  life's  tragedy  is  over,  and  I,  tired 
with  old  age,  can  view  even  calamity  with 
much  indifference,  my  heart  beats  louder 
as  I  write.  She  was  the  most  beautiful 
woman  I  have  ever  seen — so  beautiful  that, 
later  when  we  were  abroad  together,  I  have 
seen  stolid  German  peasants  touch  their 
caps  to  her  and  stand  in  daze  at  her  loveli- 
ness as  she  passed  them  by  ;  and  once,  at 
the  great  ball  at  Carleton  House,  Mr.  Sheri- 
dan excused  himself  for  drowsiness,  which 
may  have  been  due  to  the  port,  by  saying 
that  "  Lady  Elinor  Graf  ton  is  so  beautiful 
she  sets  all  men  dreaming."  Her  portrait 
was  painted  for  the  Prince  of  Wales  by  Sir 
10 


Mills  of  God 


Thomas  Lawrence  (although  there  was 
reason  for  that  besides  her  great  beauty), 
and  Sir  Thomas  Moore  writ  one  of  his 
most  charming  love  poems  to  her.  I  but 
set  these  things  down  to  show  it  was  not 
the  partiality  of  my  thought  alone  which 
called  her  the  most  beautiful  woman  of  her 
time. 

I  can  recall,  as  a  man  does  a  picture 
with  which  he  has  lived  until  every  line  and 
shade  of  it  can  be  brought  back  at  will,  the 
first  sight  I  ever  had  of  her,  as  she  stood  at 
the  little  foot-bridge,  her  black  page  carry- 
ing a  great  bunch  of  red  roses  behind  her. 
It  was  not  that  her  hair  was,  as  the  Jack 
o'  Lantern  had  said,  "  like  black  velvet,  and 
her  eyes  like  blue  stars,"  not  that  her  face 
had  the  bloom  of  roses  in  it,  that  gave  me 
the  wonder  of  her.  I  had  seen  black  hair 
and  blue  eyes  and  fair  skin  before  now,  and 
had  gone  my  way  forgetting ;  but  here,  in 
the  short  scarlet  lip,  which  swept  back  in  a 
ii 


Mills  of  God 

complacent  curve  to  show  the  white  line  of 
the  teeth,  there  were  race,  passion,  and  intel- 
ligence ;  and  in  those  wondrous  eyes,  which 
looked  out  through  the  longest  lashes  I 
have  ever  seen,  there  was  a  great  power 
and  a  greater  insolence,  as  though  they 
laughed  a  little  at  all  things  created,  even 
their  owner  ;  and  altogether  I  thought,  here 
is  a  woman  for  whose  love  a  man  might 
die — or  kill  for  the  wanting  of  it. 

She  wore  a  black  satin  petticoat  and  an 
overgown  of  black  satin,  with  scarlet  flow- 
ers on  it.  This  was  cut  away  to  show  the 
neck  and  turn  of  the  shoulders,  rising  above 
a  ruffle  of  lace,  as  was  the  fashion  of  the 
time.  She  wore,  too,  a  monstrous  big  hat, 
with  many  nodding  plumes  upon  it,  and 
carried  a  tall  staff,  with  ribbons  hanging 
from  it,  after  the  French  fashion.  She  was 
altogether  distracting  and  bewildering  in 
the  extreme,  not  only  to  me,  who  was 
country  bred,  but  to  Sir  William,  who  stood 
12 


Mills  of  God 

beside  me,  who  had  seen  the  greatest  beau- 
ties of  England,  and  still  remained  a  bach- 
elor. She  saw  that  we  were  intending  to 
cross  the  foot-bridge,  over  which  but  one 
could  go  with  any  comfort  at  a  time,  and 
she  called  to  Sir  William,  whom  she  al- 
ready knew,  having  met  him  the  day  he 
called  to  pay  his  respects  to  her  mother. 

"  Go  back,  sir.  All  the  lads  of  the  vil- 
lage give  place  to  me." 

I  can  not  set  down  the  coming  and 
going  of  the  dimples,  nor  the  drooping  of 
the  eyes,  which  still  revealed  the  gleam  of 
them,  but  not  the  intention. 

"I  am  no  lad,"  Sir  William  answered, 
smiling  back,  but  holding  his  position. 

"All  men  are  children  till  they  die  of 
old  age,"  Miss  Elinor  responded,  coming 
straight  over  so  that  we  must  needs  make 
way  for  her,  and,  from  the  time  she  walked 
past  him,  her  chin  well  up  in  the  air,  but 
with  a  certain  consciousness  of  manner, 
13 


Mills  of  God 

which  bespoke  that  she  knew  we  were 
looking  at  her,  it  was  all  over  for  my  mas- 
ter, and  all  his  years  of  bachelorhood  were 
lived  down  in  as  many  seconds. 

"  I  am  going  home  with  you  to  your 
mother,  to  complain  of  you  for  obstructing 
the  highway.  We  are  already  great  friends, 
your  mother  and  I." 

"  She  will  doubtless  be  glad  to  see  you, 
then,"  Miss  Elinor  said  demurely,  with  a 
little  teasing  emphasis  on  the  word,  and, 
Sir  William  dismissing  me,  the  two  of  them 
walked  off  together  up  the  steep  path,  and 
I  heard  her  laugh  coming  backward  through 
the  dogwood  blossoms  and  over  the  elder- 
berry blooms,  like  the  ringing  of  merry  lit- 
tle bells,  and  I  went  homeward  to  my  ac- 
counts with  many  disturbing  thoughts  of  an 
old  song  which  every  one  has  heard  : 

"  A  lady  fair, 
With  coal-black  hair, 
All  dressed  in  a  flowered  gown." 


Mills  of  God 

A  certain  wit  hath  said  that  there  is  a 
woman  at  the  bottom  of  all  trouble,  and 
that  it  is  nearly  always  an  Irish  woman,  and 
indeed  this  seemed  to  be  the  case  with  us. 
Before  Miss  Elinor  had  been  three  months 
in  the  country  she  was  the  county  toast, 
such  lightness,  and  grace,  and  fire  inflaming 
many  hearts  for  love  of  her,  so  that  wher- 
ever she  went  there  seemed  to  be  trouble 
brewing.  There  were  fine  gentlemen  with 
gay  faces  riding  up  the  river  road,  and  fine 
gentlemen  with  faces  not  so  gay  riding 
down  the  river  road  again,  and  flowers  and 
hampers  of  fruit  with  love  notes  tucked  in 
them,  and  all  the  ongoings  which  came  at 
the  love-making  season.  There  were  horse- 
back ridings  and  afternoon  teas  on  the  lawn, 
and  many  happy  little  doings  to  which  we 
were  frequently  bidden,  Madame  Dulany 
having  been  gracious  enough  to  find  some 
pleasure  in  my  company,  and  including  me 
for  this  reason  in  many  of  the  invitations. 
'5 


Mills  of  God 

Among  all  this  adulation  Miss  Elinor 
walked,  I  can  not  say  unconsciously,  but 
rather  as  if  it  were  her  due,  accepting  hom- 
age from  men  as  naturally  as  she  accepted 
the  blue  of  the  sky  and  the  air  which  she 
breathed,  laughing  at  the  love  notes,  laugh- 
ing a  little  more  teasingly  at  the  writers  of 
them,  showing  favour  to  none,  and  seem- 
ingly regarding  the  whole  thing  in  the  na- 
ture of  a  necessary  evil  from  which  she 
might  as  well  extract  as  much  amusement 
as  possible. 

She  had  been  but  little  above  three 
months  at  Ingleside  when  there  occurred 
the  affair  of  St.  George  Page,  which  drew 
such  a  talk  about  her  name  that  the  entire 
country  rang  with  the  clatter  of  it.  This 
young  Page  was  a  man  of  some  parts,  Eng- 
lish by  birth,  with  a  moderate  fortune,  and 
a  great  idea  of  his  own  importance.  The 
strongest  thought  of  his  life  seemed  to  be 
that  a  man  must  ever  assert  himself,  and 
16 


Mills  of  God 

that  a  woman  should  be  kept  well  in  the 
rear  of  him  as  the  background  against  which 
he  might  shine.  He  had  spent  an  after- 
noon with  Miss  Elinor  under  the  beeches, 
holding  forth,  no  doubt,  on  the  whole  of 
womanly  duty,  and  had  but  newly  mounted 
his  horse  and  ridden  away  when  she  came 
up  on  the  long  veranda  where  Sir  William, 
her  mother,  and  I  were  drinking  tea. 

"  I  am  going " — she  said,  in  a  sweet, 
warm,  intimate  way  she  had  at  times,  as 
though  we  were  all  one  with  her — "  I  am 
going  to  be  an  instrument  in  the  hands  of 
Providence." 

"  Poor  Mr.  Page  ! "  Sir  William  observed 
with  a  laugh. 

"Twas  not  I  that  mentioned  Mr. 
Page,"  Miss  Elinor  said  demurely.  "  I  but 
made  a  general  observe.  However,  it 
would  be  a  just  and  holy  thing  to  bring 
him  to  a  wiser  frame  of  mind." 

And  bring  him  to  a  different  if  not  a 
17 


Mills  of  God 

wiser  frame  of  mind  she  did,  for  in  three 
weeks  from  that  time  he  was  found  hang- 
ing in  his  own  room  to  one  of  the  wooden 
cross-beams,  the  breath  almost  gone  from 
his  stupid  body.  It  was  fully  three  weeks 
before  he  was  enough  recovered  from  this 
neck-stretching  to  be  sent  to  his  father's 
estates  in  England,  where,  let  it  be  hoped, 
he  found  the  feminine  background  for 
which  he  was  seeking.  Well,  the  women 
clacked  about  the  affair  till  the  noise  deaf- 
ened your  ears,  and  the  men  repeated  the 
tale  that  when  Miss  Elinor  heard  of  the 
affair  she  observed  dryly  : 

"  I  always  thought  the  man  was  born 
to  be  hanged." 

Then  they  toasted  her  beauty  and  wit 
and  laughed  at  St.  George  Page  for  a  pre- 
sumptuous fool,  which  was  a  naked  truth 
regarding  him  ;  and  the  men  forgot,  but  the 
women,  as  is  their  wont,  forgot  nothing. 

Following  close  on  this  affair  came  the 
18 


Mills  of  God 


duel  of  Sir  Lionel  Fairfax  and  his  cousin 
Montgomery,  who  drew  swords  about  Miss 
Elinor  at  the  King's  Court  fox-hunt.  It 
was  said  that  she  broke  an  engagement 
with  one  for  the  other,  though  she  ever 
denied  having  an  engagement  with  either. 
The  truth  of  this  it  was  impossible  to  doubt, 
as  she  rode  to  the  meet  with  Sir  William 
and  myself.  Mr.  Montgomery,  it  appears, 
rode  up  to  his  cousin  as  soon  as  he  saw  him 
enter  the  field,  and,  although  there  had  been 
bad  blood  between  them  for  some  time, 
they  saluted  with  great  courtesy.  By  rea- 
son of  their  both  being  gentlemen,  it  was 
impossible  for  them  to  bring  a  woman's 
name  into  the  affair,  so  that  Mr.  Mont- 
gomery said,  speaking  low  and  very  delib- 
erate : 

"  I  dislike  the  colour  of  your  neckcloth. 
No  gentleman  would  wear  it  ! " 

To  which  Sir  Lionel  responded  by  turn- 
ing suddenly  bloodless  and  striking  his 
19 


Mills  of  God 

cousin  full  in  the  face  with  his  riding  glove. 
They  fought  that  evening  in  the  beech 
wood,  back  from  the  cross  roads ;  both 
were  wounded,  and  it  was  a  bad  thing 
altogether,  in  many  ways,  for  the  worry  of 
all  this  to-doing  fell  so  strong  on  Madame 
Dulany  that  I  am  convinced  it  went  far 
toward  bringing  about  the  tragedy  of  Miss 
Elinor's  marriage. 

Gossip  about  the  Dulanys  had  arisen 
before  this,  however,  due  in  part,  I  believe, 
to  a  kind  of  jealousy  among  the  women 
folk  of  Miss  Elinor's  wonderful  beauty  and 
to  a  regal  sort  of  bearing  which  never  won 
for  her  the  love  of  her  own  sex  ;  and  also, 
I  think,  to  a  resentment  of  the  neglect  of 
madame  to  respond  to  the  advances  of  her 
neighbours  as  they  thought  their  dignity 
warranted.  Sly  questions  were  asked  of 
the  source  of  payment  for  all  the  expendi- 
tures, and  rumours  of  mysterious  visitors 
who  came  from  the  boat  landing  at  night, 
20 


Mills  of  God 

and  left  again  after  several  days,  none  hav- 
ing seen  them  but  Madame  and  Mistress 
Randolph,  who  carried  in  their  meals  her- 
self. And  after  these  visits,  it  was  ru- 
moured, there  was  gold  going  for  every 
one  and  for  every  purpose,  no  matter  how 
foolish. 

All  this  time  there  were  letters  being 
carried  back  and  forth  from  our  house  to 
the  Dulanys,  and  a  blind  man  could  have 
seen  that  my  master  was  daft  in  his  love 
for  Miss  Elinor ;  but  while  the  notes  from 
our  side  were  from  Sir  William  to  Miss 
Elinor,  those  from  the  other  were  more 
often  from  Madame  Dulany  ;  nor  did  Miss 
Elinor  seem  to  charge  her  mind  with  the 
matter  at  all.  From  the  beginning,  how- 
ever, Madame  had  seen  which  way  Sir 
William's  heart  turned,  and  from  the  very 
first  she  favoured  the  match.  As  I  have 
said,  Miss  Elinor  seemed  for  a  while  to  be 
prejudiced  neither  for  nor  against  Sir  Wil- 

3  21 


Mills  of  God 

Ham  as  a  husband,  but  after  the  matter  of 
the  duel,  and  the  attempted  hanging  of  St. 
George  Page,  by  reason  no  doubt  of  Ma- 
dame's  insistence,  the  affair  became  more 
importunate.  One  evening,  after  a  stormy 
discussion  with  her  mother  upon  the  sub- 
ject, I  heard  that  Miss  Elinor  flung  herself 
out  of  the  room  in  tears.  That  night,  im- 
mediately after  supper,  Madame  Dulany 
sent  for  her  daughter.  What  was  said  at 
that  meeting  became  known  to  me  years 
afterward,  and  I  know  that  it  was  the  turn- 
ing of  Elinor  Dulany's  life.  Almost  im- 
mediately after  this  interview  she  consented 
to  the  marriage,  but,  from  that  time  forth, 
she  held  aloof  from  her  mother,  as  though 
in  judgment  of  some  by-gone  act. 

It  was  in  January,  seventeen  ninety- 
three,  that  Miss  Elinor  became  Lady  Elinor 
Grafton  at  a  wedding,  the  sadness  of  which 
sickens  me  still  in  my  thoughts.  It  was 
sure  the  maddest  marriage  ever  made. 

22 


Mills  of  God 

Here  was  a  girl  under  seventeen,  full  of 
fire  and  beauty,  of  an  imaginative  and  pas- 
sionate nature,  tied  for  life  to  a  man  whose 
best  years  were  behind  him,  and  in  whom 
the  desires  of  youth  were  long  over. 
Nature  and  sense  cried  out  against  it,  and 
I  have  always  thought  that  the  tragedy  of 
many  lives  might  have  been  averted  if 
there  had  been  a  man  at  that  interview  be- 
tween Madame  and  her  daughter  on  the 
night  the  decision  was  made,  to  put  some 
sanity  into  the  hysteria  of  an  embittered 
and  unreasoning  woman.  The  marriage,  if 
marriage  it  could  be  rightly  named,  was 
the  strangest  one  that  ever  fell  under  my 
observation,  for  it  had  in  it,  to  my  think- 
ing, more  of  the  relation  of  father  and  child 
than  of  that  fonder  tie  which  binds  hus- 
band and  wife  as  one  flesh.  Not  that  there 
could  be  ever  any  question  of  Sir  William's 
affection  for  my  lady,  for  it  was  apparent 
in  the  most  trivial  turn  of  his  affairs,  but  he 
23 


Mills  of  God 


ever  treated  her  as  a  priceless  gem  or  some 
rare  flower,  or  as  a  beautiful  picture  to  be 
put  in  some  niche  of  its  own,  rather  than  as 
a  woman,  who  was  bone  of  his  bone  and  to 
be  the  mother  of  his  children. 

I  have  said  before  that  Sir  William  was 
a  most  just  man,  which  was  to  the  end  of 
his  life  a  plain  truth  concerning  him  in  all 
matters  save  one,  and  this  was  in  the  af- 
fairs of  my  lady.  In  these  he  seemed  to 
have  no  higher  sense  of  justice  than  that 
she  should  have  whatever  she  desired,  let 
who  would  be  the  loser ;  and  this  feeling 
was  carried  so  far  that  Lady  Elinor  often 
stood  abashed  at  Sir  William's  anger  over 
some  trivial  disappointment  of  hers  ;  and  as 
time  went  by  she  grew  into  the  habit  of 
keeping  all  such  things  from  him,  for  her 
own  peace  of  mind  as  well  as  his. 

It  was  the  first  year  of  her  marriage  that 
my  real  acquaintance  with  Elinor  Grafton 
began ;  the  knowledge  of  her  came  bit  by 
24 


Mills  of  God 

bit,  for  she  was  never  a  person  easy  to 
know.  From  her  coming  to  Deepdeen 
there  were  times  when  she  made  merry, 
when  she  was  gay  as  became  her  youth,  but 
these  periods  were  ever  succeeded  by  ones 
of  contemplation  and  silence,  and  I  have 
often  come  upon  her  somewhere  in  the 
grounds  sitting  off  by  her  lone,  with  a  look 
in  her  eyes  which  I  can  no  better  describe 
than  expressive  of  a  great  wonderment  of 
things,  and  as  if  she  were  trying  to  solve 
the  riddle  of  life  to  which  none  can  give 
fair  answer.  'Twas  one  morning  during 
this  time  that  she  came  into  the  domestic 
office  where  I  was  engaged  upon  some 
emergent  affairs  about  the  new  tobacco. 
She  brought  the  sunshine  with  her  as  she 
stood  in  her  gay  dress  and  flowered  hat,  a 
book  held  beneath  her  arm. 

"Good-morning  to  you,  Mr.  Killduff," 
she  said,   dropping   her  eyes.      She  knew 
she  was  interrupting  my  work,  knew  just 
25 


Mills  of  God 

as  well  that  I  was  glad  to  be  so  inter- 
rupted. 

"  Good-morning,  Lady  Elinor,"  I  re- 
sponded, rising,  but  holding  my  pen  in 
readiness  to  go  on  with  my  accounts. 

"  I  have  come  to  talk  with  you.  Ac- 
cepting the  urgent  invitation  which  you  do 
not  extend,  I  shall  take  a  chair.  As  the 
talk  promiseth  to  endure  for  some  time, 
will  you  not  sit  down  also  ?  There  is  ever 
something  restless  in  a  conversation  carried 
on  on  foot." 

I  did  as  I  was  bidden  with  a  smile. 

"  Sir  William  tells  me  that  you  are  a 
very  fine  scholar,  Mr.  Killduff." 

"  Thank  you,  my  lady." 

"  He  says  that,  like  your  father  before 
you,  you  were  held  in  high  repute  at  the 
university." 

"Thank  you,  my  lady." 

"He  says  that  you  have  Latin  and 
Greek,  which  do  very  well,"  and  before  I 
26 


Mills  of  God 

could  make  reply  she  answered  herself 
gravely,  and  in  my  manner  : 

"Thank  you,  my  lady,"  at  which  I 
laughed  and  put  down  my  pen,  as  she  had 
intended. 

With  this  gaining  of  my  entire  atten- 
tion came  one  of  the  veerings  of  her  nature, 
which  dazzled  me  to  the  very  end. 

"  I  want  to  be  taught,"  she  said,  the 
smiling  and  raillery  all  gone  from  her.  "  I 
want  that  you  should  teach  me.  I  want  to 
find  out  why  it  all  is.  There  must  be  some- 
thing more  than  this"  and  here  she  made  a 
little  gesture  which  seemed  to  include  her 
whole  life.  "  There  must  be  some  mean- 
ing to  things  which  I  can  not  discover.  I 
misdoubt  at  times  that  I  make  but  a  sad 
figure  of  a  woman.  I  can  keep  a  secret ; 
I  lose  no  sleep  over  an  ill-fitting  gown  ; 
leave  my  neighbours'  affairs  to  their  own 
directing ;  can  speak  naked  truth  when 
necessary  ;  have  an  unapproved  tolerance 
27 


Mills  of  God 

of  sin ;  little  use  for  tears,  and  fear  for 
no  man." 

"Are  you  hoping  to  change  these  spe- 
cial virtues  by  means  of  the  Latin  and 
Greek  ? "  I  asked,  smiling  at  her. 

"  Not  I,"  she  answered,  "  but  perhaps 
some  regular  work  may  give  my  life  the 
flavour  which  I  find  sometimes  it  lacks.  I 
will  be  a  good  pupil ;  I  shall  indeed  work 
very  hard  and  aim  to  be  little  trouble." 

There  was,  of  course,  but  one  answer  to 
be  given,  and  it  was  in  this  manner  that 
our  studies  together  began,  which  lasted 
interruptedly  over  many  years,  during  which 
Lady  Elinor  proved  indeed  a  hard  student 
and  an  apt  pupil,  with  a  bit  of  flouting 
sometimes  at  my  mind,  which,  compared  to 
hers,  arrived  but  slowly  at  its  conclusions. 

"  I  own,"  she  said  one  day,  "  that  your 

opinions  are  apt  to  be  the  just  ones,  but  I 

have  so  many  more  than  you  !     I  can  have 

seven  or  eight  while  you  are  getting  one. 

28 


Mills  of  God 

True,  mine  may  be  all  wrong,  but  I  make 
up  in  quantity  what  the  quality  lacks.  You 
are  a  very  slow  man  in  your  mind,  Pro- 
fessor Killduff,"  and  she  broke  into  a  merry 
laugh  of  comprehension  at  her  own  teasing, 
in  which  I  joined. 

It  was  through  this  daily  intercourse 
that  the  real  nature  of  her  became  known 
to  me :  the  largeness  of  judgment ;  the 
pride  ;  the  generosity,  which,  as  she  stated 
herself,  was  in  a  great  part  mere  careless- 
ness ;  the  impatience  of  detail,  and,  most 
of  all,  a  lawlessness  which  questioned  the 
right  of  God  or  man  to  interfere  with  her 
in  any  matter  whatsoever. 

Of  the  reckless  generosity  of  her  I 
would  write  at  some  length,  for  she  set  so 
little  store  by  her  possessions  that  on  the 
impulse  of  the  moment  she  would  give 
away  things  of  great  value  to  any  who 
chanced  to  desire  them.  I  can  see  her  in 
my  memory  crossing  the  courtyard  with 
29 


Mills  of  God 

some  entirely  unworthy  mendicant,  and 
coming  to  me,  with  the  look  of  a  child  who 
knows  that  he  is  doing  something  wrong, 
but  is  nevertheless  confident  that  he  will 
not  be  scolded,  telling  me  to  give  this  man 
ten  pounds,  or  twenty  pounds,  or  a  new 
horse,  or  to  have  his  house  fixed.  If  I 
remonstrated,  as  I  was  sometimes  forced 
to  do,  she  would  say  : 

"  Come,  now,  don't  haggle,  Mr.  Kill- 
duff.  You  know  yourself  it's  a  loan  to 
the  Lord." 

"  It's  an  encouragement  of  incompe- 
tency,"  I  answered  her  once. 

"And  if  He  has  seen  fit  to  allow  in- 
competency,  it's  not  my  place  to  criticise 
it,"  she  responded  quickly. 

And  another  time,  when  I  asked  her 
the  sense  of  this  eternal  giving,  she  an- 
swered, with  the  look  in  her  eyes  of  speak- 
ing white  truth  : 

"  I  am  trying  to  persuade  the  Almighty 
30 


Mills  of  God 

that  I  am  a  Christian — a  thing  which  I 
pointedly  suspect  I  am  not " ;  and  she  left 
me  to  my  own  reflections,  which  accorded 
with  an  all  too  great  nicety  with  her  own. 
She  was  something  very  beautiful,  very 
fine  and  lovable,  of  an  entirely  splendid 
and  compelling  personality,  but  I  misdoubt 
me  there  was  ever  something  pagan  in  her 
heart. 

So  for  a  year  or  two  she  went  on  with 
her  studies  in  seeming  content,  although  I 
could  but  think  Sir  William's  attentions 
were  irksome  to  her  at  times.  She  treated 
him  as  a  child  might  an  over-indulgent 
father,  going  to  him  with  everything  from 
an  ill-fitting  gown  to  the  latest  prank  of 
her  young  negroes,  but  ever  conducting 
herself  with  great  dignity  and  a  subdued 
gaiety  befitting  her  position  as  first  lady  of 
the  province.  There  were  times,  however, 
when  she  would  burst  forth  with  sudden 
flashes  of  lawlessness,  and  make  reckless 


Mills  of  God 

speeches,  but  they  seemed  only  the  effer- 
vescence of  youth,  and  Sir  William  would 
but  laugh  at  them  as  my  lady  sat  at  his 
knee  before  the  wood  fire  of  an  evening 
after  the  supper. 

I  remember  one  such  occasion,  which 
may  expound  what  I  mean.  We  were  in 
the  great  hall  waiting  for  tea  ;  and  Lady 
Elinor,  who  regarded  me  in  her  talk  no 
more  than  she  would  have  done  a  stone 
image,  was  sitting  on  a  low  stool,  twisting 
her  hat  round  and  round,  for  she  had  but 
recently  come  in.  There  was  a  warmth, 
a  radiance,  about  this  creature  such  as 
no  bookishness  can  show.  Suddenly  she 
turned  to  Sir  William,  who  was  reading, 
and  said  : 

"  Do  you  believe  in  the  Ten  Com- 
mandments?" 

There  was  a  twinkle  in  Sir  William's 
eyes  as  he  answered  : 

"  I  believe  in  them  for   most  people. 
32 


Mills  of  God 


They  are  a  very  good  thing  for  me,  for 
instance." 

"  Oh,  you  ! "  returned  my  lady  lightly, 
and  I  could  but  think  with  a  bit  of  disdain, 
as  if  the  exuberance  of  her  nature  cried  out 
against  the  dryness  of  his,  "you  could 
keep  twelve  or  fourteen  just  as  well  as  ten, 
you  are  so  good;  but  as  for  me — I  find 
them  a  great  drawback.  Life  might  be  a 
very  tolerable  thing  if  Moses  had  broken 
them  once  for  all." 


33 


CHAPTER   II 

ONE  morning  in  late  May,  in  the  sec- 
ond year  after  Sir  William's  marriage,  the 
household  was  busily  engaged  in  getting 
him  ready  for  a  trip  to  that  part  of  Massa- 
chusetts which  forms  the  present  State  of 
Maine,  to  which  place  he  was  going  to  in- 
spect some  fishing  interests  into  which  he 
had  put  a  large  sum  of  money.  I  had  been 
hard  at  work  with  his  letters  until  about 
eleven  of  the  morning,  when,  thinking  to 
get  a  breath  of  the  spring  air,  I  went  down 
into  the  rose-garden.  I  had  stopped  to  tie 
up  a  bush  which  the  night  wind  had  blown 
awry,  when  I  saw  my  lady  come  out  on  the 
side  veranda  and  look  through  the  yellow 
haze  of  the  sunshine  to  the  place  where  I 
stood.  Presently,  humming  to  herself,  with 
34 


Mills  of  God 

a  smile  born  of  youth  and  absolute  well- 
being,  she  came  down  the  long  path  under 
the  lilacs  to  the  old  bench,  which  was  not 
ten  feet  from  me.  Whether  it  was  that  she 
was  more  than  ordinarily  beautiful,  or  be- 
cause of  an  intensified  consciousness  on  my 
part,  which  frequently  comes  to  us  before 
calamity,  I  can  not  say,  but  to  this  day  I 
remember  her  as  she  stood  in  her  pale-green 
gown  and  great  hat,  with  the  bunch  of 
lilacs  in  her  hand.  It  was  in  this  same 
gown  that  the  Lawrence  portrait  of  her  was 
afterward  made,  which  my  lord  had  directly 
in  front  of  his  bed,  and  died  looking  at. 
She  seated  herself  on  the  old  brown  garden 
seat,  and  then,  with  her  eyelids  drawn  to- 
gether and  her  eyes  brimming  over  with 
merriment,  she  said,  drolling  with  me  : 

"  You  are  a  lazy  old  gentleman,  Mr. 
Killduff." 

I  was  but  three  years  my  lady's  senior, 
and  considered  an  industrious  body. 
35 


Mills  of  God 

"  I  have  been  hard  at  work  since  six 
this  morning." 

"  Then  you  are  dear  Dr.  Watts's  '  busy 
bee,'  and  a  constant  reproof  to  idlers,  which 
is  worse  than  being  lazy." 

"  You  are  gey  and  ill  to  please  this 
morning,  Lady  Elinor,"  I  answered. 

"  I  am  indeed.  Sir  William  does  not 
please  me,  because  he  is  going  away ;  you 
do  not  please  me,  because  you  work  too 
hard  ;  and  the  Latin  and  Greek,  I  find  them 
boring  me  to  death,  and  I  feel  that  I  should 
like  some  new  interest  in  my  life." 

As  I  turned  toward  her  I  saw  a  man 
emerge  from  the  trees  around  the  boat- 
landing.  It  was  at  too  great  a  distance 
from  the  lawn  for  me  to  see  him  distinctly, 
but,  even  at  this  distance,  I  noticed  his 
nonchalant  walk  as  he  came  nearer  and 
nearer,  whistling  "  Prince  Charlie  "  between 
his  teeth.  I  found  him  to  be  a  gentleman 
of  about  my  own  years,  yet  appearing,  from 


Mills  of  God 

the  surety  of  his  manner,  and  the  bigness 
of  his  body,  and  still  more  from  the  warmth 
of  his  eye,  which  seemed  to  have  been  lit 
at  the  very  Fire  of  Life  itself,  to  be  twice 
my  years.  He  was  a  handsome  man,  dark, 
with  an  olive  skin,  sultry  gray  eyes,  and 
thick  brown  hair  ;  his  clothes  were  of  black, 
but  elegant  both  as  to  material  and  finish, 
his  laces  were  of  great  fineness,  and  he  car- 
ried in  his  manner,  which  was  one  of  sin- 
gular distinction,  the  atmosphere  of  a  man 
who  sticks  at  little  in  the  attainment  of  his 
desires.  In  the  first  second  our  glances 
struck  cold  like  steel  and  fell  apart. 

"  Can  you  tell  me  where  Madame 
Du " 

As  he  spoke,  Lady  Elinor,  who  had 
arisen,  turned  toward  him.  He  had  stood, 
as  he  addressed  me,  with  his  hat  cocked  on 
the  back  of  his  head  and  his  hands  in  his 
pockets ;  but  when  he  saw  her  his  sentence 
broke  and  his  hand  went  to  his  head,  he 
*  37 


Mills  of  God 

uncovered,  and  I  saw  him  swallow  hard,  as 
a  man  does  in  great  joy  or  great  sorrow ;  as 
for  my  lady,  it  seemed  as  if,  even  from  the 
first  look,  her  soul  recognised  him  in  some 
way,  for  the  scarlet  flowed  into  her  cheeks, 
and  their  eyes  clung  to  each  other. 

From  the  awkward  pause  which  fol- 
lowed this  meeting  it  was  Lady  Elinor  who 
recovered  herself  first. 

"We  see  you  are  a  stranger  in  these 
parts,"  she  said  with  great  gentleness.  "  Is 
there  any  help  we  can  offer  you  ?  " 

"  You  can  allow  me  to  introduce  my- 
self," the  stranger  answered,  with  one  of 
those  radiant  smiles  which  are  so  often  the 
gift  of  very  bad-tempered  people.  "  My 
name  is  Harry  Bedford,  and  I  have  mes- 
sages from  England  of  some  note  for  Mis- 
tress Dulany,  who "  He  hesitated  for 

a  minute,  and  my  lady  finished  for  him. 

"  Lives  on  the  hill  yonder,  where  Mr. 
Killduff  will  escort  you  with  pleasure,  I 
38 


Mills  of  God 

make  sure  "  ;  and  thus  dismissing  us  both, 
she  reseated  herself,  and  left  me  to  show 
the  stranger  the  way  to  the  foot-bridge. 

As  we  wound  our  way  down  the  waver- 
ing path,  which  often  lost  itself  amid  the 
tall  grasses,  the  man  resumed  his  whistling 
of  "  Prince  Charlie,"  and  put  his  hands  in 
his  pockets  again  with  an  entire  disregard 
of  me,  which  I  felt  arose  from  an  intense 
preoccupation,  rather  than  from  any  in- 
tentional discourtesy ;  he  spoke  never  a 
word  the  whole  way,  nor  in  any  manner, 
save  by  following  my  footsteps,  gave  proof 
that  he  knew  of  my  existence.  It  was  not 
above  five  minutes  from  the  time  I  left 
him  at  Madame  Dulany's  door  until  I  was 
back  on  the  lawn.  My  lady  was  sitting 
with  her  hand  over  her  eyes,  and  she  started 
at  the  sound  of  my  step  as  though  it  had 
been  a  cartridge  exploded  ;  the  colour  faded 
from  her  face  as  a  light  goes  out  suddenly, 
and  without  a  word  she  arose  and  went 
39 


Mills  of  God 


toward  the  house  ;  nor  did  I  see  her  again 
until  the  afternoon,  when,  leaning  on  Sir 
William's  arm,  she  accompanied  him  to  the 
boat-landing  to  bid  him  farewell. 

"  I  had  rather  remain  at  Deepdeen  than 
go  to  Ingleside,"  my  lady  said  to  Sir  Wil- 
liam. 

"  Dear,"  he  answered,  "  I  would  not 
know  one  comfortable  moment  while  I 
was  away,  to  think  of  you  alone  in  that 
great  house  with  none  but  the  servants.  It 
will  not  be  for  long."  And  my  lady  was 
persuaded,  and  that  evening,  as  the  crows 
were  flying  down  the  stream  and  the  purples 
of  the  night  were  gathering  in  the  east, 
Lady  Elinor  and  Madame  Rochon,  her 
waiting-woman,  the  young  Sambo  and  I, 
arrived  at  Madame  Dulany's  doors.  Here 
we  were  met  by  Mistress  Randolph,  who 
pressed  me,  in  Madame  Dulany's  name,  to 
remain  and  have  supper  with  them,  saying 
that  some  company  had  but  to-day  arrived 
40 


Mills  of  God 

from  England,  and  that  there  was  to  be  a 
festivity.  I  glanced  quickly  at  Lady  Eli- 
nor, but  her  eyes  were  downcast,  and  it 
was  impossible  to  tell  her  thought,  and  she 
quickly  withdrew  to  her  old  rooms  with 
her  tiring-woman. 

There  being  none  to  talk  to,  I  wandered 
out  into  the  grounds  and  remained  above 
an  hour,  brooding  on  a  trouble  which  was 
so  vague  as  to  be  nameless.  As  I  returned 
to  the  house,  I  remember  that  the  big  May 
moon  was  showing  half  her  yellow  face 
over  the  eastern  hills,  and  the  whip-poor- 
wills  were  piping  in  the  dusky  wood  ;  then, 
too,  I  heard  the  strumming  of  banjos,  upon 
which  the  blacks  have  ever  displayed  a  sin- 
gular proficiency. 

Oh,  love  and  youth  and  music  ! — and 
the  mating  season,  and  Nature's  heyday  in 
the  blood,  and  old  Virginia,  with  irrespon- 
sibility rampant  in  the  summer  air  ! 

The  great  hall  doors  were  open,  on  ac- 


Mills  of  God 

count  of  the  summer  heat,  as  I  came  up 
the  walk,  and  standing  in  the  hall  were 
two  gentlemen  and  Madame  Dulany.  One 
of  the  guests  I  recognised  as  our  visitor  of 
the  morning,  but,  before  I  could  see  the 
other,  the  whole  three  turned  their  backs 
to  me,  and  my  gaze  following  theirs,  I  saw 
Lady  Elinor  coming  down  the  stairs,  a 
vision  of  loveliness.  She  wore  a  regal 
gown  of  white  brocade  and  many  jewels 
(Sir  William,  as  well  as  her  mother,  being 
most  lavish  with  her  in  this  respect),  and  I 
wondered  at  the  darkness  and  brightness 
of  her  eyes.  She  was  beautiful  past  belief, 
and  as  I  noticed  the  reckless  way  in  which 
the  stranger  regarded  her,  I  could  but  wish 
Sir  William  had  neglected  his  fishing  intef 
ests  and  had  remained  at  home  to  look  after 
his  wife.  Standing  there  all  unnoticed,  I 
registered  a  vow,  which  Heaven  will  bear 
witness  how  well  I  have  kept,  that,  come 
good  or  ill,  my  whole  life  should  be  devoted 


Mills  of  God 

to  this  fair  woman,  who  valued  me  no  more 
than  she  did  the  spaniel  who  ran  at  her 
feet. 

What  with  the  brocade  and  the  jewels, 
and  the  regal  way  she  had  of  carrying  her- 
self, even  her  mother  stood  a  bit  awed,  I 
thought,  as  she  made  the  presentations. 

It  was  then  I  heard  the  strangers' 
names — Lord  Bedford  and  Sir  Alan  Mac- 
kenzie— the  last  named  being  above  thirty, 
badly  pitted  with  small-pox,  with  an  un- 
canny droop  to  the  right  eye,  but  with 
such  assurance  of  manner  and  ready  con- 
versation, I  found  afterward,  as  to  make 
him  a  most  agreeable  companion. 

Lord  Bedford  had  changed  his  attire  of 
the  morning  for  a  court  suit  of  black  satin  ; 
he  wore  the  order  of  the  garter  and  a  star, 
set  with  diamonds,  on  his  breast.  There 
was  a  wonderful  braveness  of  bearing  about 
him,  which  recalled  to  my  mind  a  saying 
of  the  Prince  of  Wales  that  he  kept  Bed- 
43 


Mills  of  God 

ford  around  Carlton  House  as  one  of  the 
decorations.  There  were,  besides,  invited 
for  the  supper,  Father  Spofford,  a  clergy- 
man of  the  village,  to  whom  madame,  in 
her  spasmodic  attacks  of  religion,  would 
turn  with  great  fervour,  his  wife,  Judge 
Fairfax,  and  the  Stanley-Masons,  who  were 
visiting  at  the  time. 

At  supper  the  talk  turned  on  the  voyage 
of  the  two  gentlemen,  which  had  been  one 
of  great  danger,  the  ship  having  sustained 
such  injuries  that  she  was  laid  up  in  port 
for  repairs.  From  this  the  conversation 
turned  to  adventure,  and  Lord  Bedford, 
who  was  a  great  traveller,  told  of  the  troub- 
lous times  in  France  with  such  skill  in 
narration  that  we  held  our  breath  at  the 
horrors.  He  had  met  General  Bonaparte 
two  years  before  this  time,  and  spoke  of 
him  as  the  most  wonderful  man  in  the 
world,  and  the  greatest  menace  to  the 
French  Republic,  saying  so  many  wise  and 
44 


Mills  of  Cod 


witty  things  of  France  that  I  marvelled 
after,  that  a  man  who  had  such  vision  for  a 
nation  had  not  more  head  for  his  own  pri- 
vate affairs. 

I  had  often  marked  my  lady's  conduct 
at  such  of  the  gatherings  to  which  I  was 
bidden,  and  never  before,  although  she  was 
always  the  centre  of  attraction,  had  I  seen 
her  so  verily  bewitching.  Between  her 
and  Lord  Bedford  there  was  from  the  first 
one  of  those  affinities  of  nature  which 
make  spoken  language  little  needed,  and 
through  the  supper  this  became  ever  and 
ever  more  apparent.  He  seemed  to  know 
her  thought  before  it  was  spoken ;  was 
conscious  of  her  movements  when  not 
looking  at  her  ;  and  once,  when  talking  to 
Mistress  Spofford,  with  his  face  away  from 
Lady  Elinor,  turned  to  unfasten  a  piece  of 
lace  which  had  caught  in  one  of  her  rings, 
with  a  certain  assumption  of  the  right  to 
do  it  which  made  me  glow  with  anger. 
45 


Mills  of  God 

When  the  wine  was  brought  in,  madame 
bade  the  gentlemen  call  a  toast,  and  Sir 
Alan  named  the  king,  but  Lord  Harry 
laughed  back  : 

"  Nay,  Alan,  you  forget  Mr.  Washing- 
ton !  I  propose  one  instead,  with  your 
pardoning,  which  we  can  all  drink  with  the 
best  hearts  in  the  world  ! "  and,  rising,  he 
called,  "To  the  Queen  !"  and  pledged  Lady 
Elinor,  looking  into  her  eyes  meanwhile 
with  unfettered  admiration,  afterward  drain- 
ing the  wine  to  the  very  bottom  of  the 
glass. 

At  the  close  of  the  repast,  the  evening 
being  still  warm  and  balmy,  it  was  pro- 
posed by  Madame  Dulany  that  we  should 
go  out  on  the  balcony  and  have  some  of 
the  blacks  around  to  sing  for  us.  The 
shadows  lay  thick  and  heavy  from  the  very 
brightness  of  the  moon.  Most  of  the 
guests  had  gathered  round  Sir  Alan,  who 
was  telling  some  wonderful  tales  of  the 
46 


Mills  of  God 

doings  of  the  Prince  of  Wales  and  Mr. 
Fox  ;  but  Lady  Elinor  sat  in  a  low  chair  by 
the  railing,  the  light  on  her  fair  face  and 
soft  hair,  and  gleaming  in  the  many  jewels 
which  she  wore.  Lord  Bedford  walked  up 
and  down  restlessly  for  a  little  while,  as  if 
trying  to  keep  away  from  her,  I  thought, 
but  in  the  end  yielding  and  seating  himself 
on  the  railing  very  near  to  her,  with  his 
back  leaning  against  one  of  the  columns ; 
and  as  he  came  I  saw  that  she  looked  up 
at  him  and  smiled. 

44 1  make  sure,  Lady  Elinor,"  Lord  Bed- 
ford said  in  a  softened  voice,  "that  we 
have  met  somewhere  before.  Do  you  not 
feel  it  so?" 

44  It  is  scarcely  possible,"  Lady  Elinor 
answered.  "  I  have  lived  in  many  coun- 
tries, but  I've  never  been  in  England." 

44  Never  been  in  England  !"  Lord  Bed- 
ford echoed  in  seeming  amazement.  44  We 
must  have  you  at  the  court  before  long " ; 
47 


Mills  of  God 

and  then,  as  with  a  sudden  recollecting,  "  I 
remember  now  that  I  was  told,  before  I 
came  over,  that  you  had  never  been  in 
England." 

"  You  were  told  this  before  you  came 
over ! "  and  it  was  now  my  lady's  turn  for 
wonderment.  "  Have  I  then  some  un- 
known friend  in  England  who  mentions 
my  deficiencies  ?  " 

"  Nay,"  he  answered,  "  I  make  sure  you 
would  have  no  deficiencies  in  his  eyes. 
The  information  I  had  from  a  friend 
of  your  mother's,  whom  I  am  fortunate 
enough  to  claim  as  mine  ;  one  whose  name 
I  am  not  at  liberty  to  call.  All  of  which," 
he  said,  with  a  veering,  "  has  led  us  some- 
thing away  from  the  talk  of  our  first  meet- 
ing. In  India,  you  know,  there  are  people 
who  believe  that  we  have  lived  on  earth 
many  times  before  ;  that  now  and  then  it 
is  given  to  some  to  have  a  recognition  of 
those  friends  of  Other  Times.  Who  can 
48 


Mills  of  Cod 

say  how  well  we  may  have  known  each 
other  then  ! " 

41  We  look  so  much  alike  now  that  I 
doubt  we  may  have  been  brother  and 
sister  then,"  and  she  smiled  evidently  at 
the  dissimilarity  between  them. 

"  Nay,"  my  lord  answered — and  his  eyes 
softened  and  warmed  toward  her — "  nay,  I 
make  sure  not  that."  And  even  I,  who  was 
so  little  skilled  in  the  arts  of  love,  knew 
what  his  glance  suggested  ;  and  my  lady, 
when  she  spoke,  answered  the  look  rather 
than  the  words,  for  she  put  her  hand  with 
a  quick  gesture  over  her  heart,  looking  up 
into  the  eyes  which  were  drinking  her  in. 

"  Perhaps,"  she  said,  and  again,  after  a 
moment,  "  perhaps." 

I  was  on  the  steps  below  them,  with  a 
curious  fancy  in  my  heart  of  sitting  quietly 
by  and  watching  a  fire  kindled  to  burn 
Deepdeen  to  the  ground,  and  yet  doing 
nothing  to  prevent  it,  but  just  staring  like 
49 


Mills  of  God 

a  gaby  as  the  flames  rose  higher  and  higher. 
The  picture  was  not  a  soothing  one  to  my 
mind. 

It  was  while  we  were  thus  waiting  for 
the  blacks  to  assemble  that  Mistress  Ran- 
dolph left  the  group  at  the  other  end  of  the 
porch  and  came  and  sat  beside  me  on  the 
lower  steps.  As  I  have  said  before,  she 
had  in  general  a  great  gift  at  silence,  and  it 
is  God's  mercy  that  she  had,  else  she  might 
have  ended  her  days  suddenly.  She  had 
a  way  of  beginning  a  conversation  with 
pronouns  and  avoiding  proper  names,  as 
though  it  were  sinful  to  use  them  ;  the  ex- 
asperation of  this  driving  a  man's  mind 
into  a  kind  of  frenzy,  during  which  he 
could  not,  in  justice,  be  held  accountable 
for  a  rash  act. 

As  may  well  be  judged,  with  the  trouble 

brewing,  and  the  sick  jealousy  I  had  in  my 

heart,  I  was  in  no   mood   for  intercourse 

with  her,  and  as  she  seated  herself  near  me, 

50 


Mills  of  God 

had  I  been  but  a  grain  less  civilized  I 
should  have  shown  a  clean  pair  of  heels 
for  the  far  woods. 

"  It  would  have  been  better,"  she  ob- 
served, with  a  downward  inflection  of  the 
voice,  but  with  no  stopping ;  "she  said  this 
morning  as  soon  as  she  saw  him  how  well 
they  looked  together  not  but  that  the 
other  does  very  well  though  tedious  and 
getting  bald  and  no  stomach  for  his  food, 
and  the  other  might  have  a  terrible  temper 
which  he  surely  looks  although  appear- 
ances are  deceitful,  when  will  he  be  com- 
ing back  for  she  is  young  and  very  hand- 
some and  those  who  should  understand 
her  do  not  and  it  would  be  a  pity!" 

I  clinched  my  teeth  and  made  no  reply, 
but  through  a  mist  of  pronouns  I  gathered 
that  Mistress  Randolph  saw  a  great  deal, 
with  those  sleepy  eyes,  which  keener  ones 
were  missing. 

There  were  perhaps  a  dozen  of  the 
51 


Mills  of  God 

colored  people  gathered  on  the  moonlit 
lawn,  and  after  arranging  themselves  in  a 
semicircle,  one  (and  I  remember  hearing 
soon  after  that  she  had  just  lost  her  hus- 
band by  reason  of  his  being  sold  into  the 
rice  swamps  of  Carolina)  advanced  into  the 
middle  and  began  a  wild  kind  of  chant, 
swaying  to  and  fro  as  she  sang,  the  others 
coming  in  on  the  refrain.  The  singer,  a 
woman  of  thirty,  perhaps,  wore  a  gay-col- 
oured handkerchief  around  her  head  and 
large  hoops  of  brass  in  her  ears,  which 
set  off  her  yellow  countenance  in  such 
a  theatric  manner  that  Lord  Bedford 
regarded  her  as  one  does  a  character  in 
a  play,  and  at  the  song's  conclusion  ap- 
plauded with  great  vehemence,  throwing 
some  pieces  of  money  down  to  her,  and  ex- 
claiming enthusiastically,  "  By  Saint  George, 
Alan,  this  is  a  country  to  live  in  ! " 

It  was  after  several   more  such   songs, 
when  the  blacks  had  retired,  that   Sir  Alan 
52 


Mills  of  God 

said :  "  Harry,  why  don't  you  sing  us  a 
song  yourself?  It's  none  so  bad — your 
music." 

"  And  I  thank  you  for  the  fulsome  flat- 
tery with  which  you  introduce  my  perform- 
ance," responded  Lord  Bedford,  with  a 
laugh,  though  I  thought  that,  although  he 
treated  the  thing  so  lightly,  he  was  main 
glad  of  the  invitation.  Upon  being  urged 
by  the  ladies,  he  asked  for  a  guitar.  Re. 
seating  himself  on  the  rail,  he  began  touch- 
ing the  strings  caressingly  with  that  in- 
describable affection  which  a  musician 
seems  to  feel  for  any  music-producing 
thing.  Then  in  a  barytone  voice  of  great 
sweetness,  to  which  the  presence  of  my 
lady  and  his  own  feelings  lent  warmth, 
he  sang: 

"  Love  is  the  perfect  sum 

Of  all  delight; 
I  have  no  other  choke, 
Either  for  pen  or  voice, 
To  sing  or  write. 

5  53 


Mills  of  God 

"  O  Love,  they  wrong  thee  much 
Who  say  thy  sweet  is  bitter, 
When  thy  rich  fruit  is  such 
That  nothing  can  be  sweeter. 

"  Fair  house  of  joy  and  bliss, 
Where  truest  pleasure  is, 

I  do  adore  thee. 
I  know  thee  what  thou  art, 
I  serve  thee  with  my  heart, 

And  fall  before  thee." 

It  was  thus  Romeo  might  have  sung  in 
one  of  Verona's  white  moonlit  nights,  had 
he  not  been  afraid  of  drawing  the  whole 
Capulet  family  about  his  ears.  It  was 
poetry  and  youth  and  passion,  but  some- 
thing worse,  for  the  voice  had  in  it  the  as- 
sertion of  an  individual  claim  against  all 
law  and  the  rights  of  others.  Upon  being 
loudly  commended,  Lord  Bedford  sang 
again,  this  time  from  the  Master,  a  tune 
which  I  judged  he  had  learned  in  Spain, 
for  it  had  in  it  the  lilt  of  the  serenade  : 

"  O  mistress  mine,  where  are  you  roaming? 
Oh  stay  and  hear  your  true  love's  coming, 
That  can  sing  both  high  and  low  ; 

54 


Mills  of  God 


Trip  no  farther,  pretty  sweeting, 
Journeys  end  in  lovers  meeting, 

Every  wise  man's  son  doth  know. 

"  What  is  love  ? — 'tis  not  hereafter, 
Present  mirth  has  present  laughter. 

What's  to  come  is  still  unsure  ; 
In  delay  there  lies  no  plenty  ; 
Then  come,  kiss  me,  sweet  and  twenty — 
Youth  's  a  stuff  will  not  endure." 

After  the  music  nothing  would  do  ma- 
dame  but  that  there  should  be  a  little  danc- 
ing, and  Mistress  Randolph,  who  played  in 
a  very  sprightly  manner  on  the  pianoforte, 
was  called,  and  Madame  Dulany  and  Father 
Spofford,  Mistress  Spofford  and  Sir  Alan, 
and  my  lady  and  Lord  Harry,  walked 
through  a  minuet — the  last  two,  it  seemed 
to  me,  in  such  an  intimacy  of  thought  as 
to  be  regardless  that  the  others  were 
present. 

It  was  but  soon  after  that  the  guests 
withdrew ;  and  as  my  lady  said  from  the 
bottom  of  the  steps  : 

"  Good-night.  Pleasant  dreams,  my 
55 


Mills  of  God 


lord,"  I  heard  him  respond  almost  in  a 
whisper,  as  he  kissed  her  hand  : 

"  If  I  dream  what  I  would,  I  pray  to 
sleep  forever." 

I  remember  these  words  well.  I  was 
to  hear  them  again  in  the  bitterest  moment 
of  my  life. 


CHAPTER   III 

THE  next  morning  the  wind  had  veered 
to  the  east,  bringing  with  it  a  persistent 
rain,  which  joined  the  heavens  by  fine 
straight  lines  to  the  earth  beneath.  About 
ten  o'clock  I  walked  over  to  the  Dulany 
house  to  take  my  lady's  orders  for  the  day, 
where  I  found  the  two  gentlemen  daffing 
together  in  the  great  hall  before  the  fire, 
which  had  been  found  necessary  by  the 
morning's  chill.  Sir  Alan  greeted  me  most 
condescendingly,  with  some  show  of  pleas- 
ure at  sight  of  me,  but  Lord  Bedford  gave 
me  a  careless  "  Good-morning,"  yawned  in 
my  very  face,  and  treated  me  frankly  as  a 
person  of  no  moment.  Finding  that  Lady 
Elinor  had  not  yet  arisen,  or  at  least  had 
57 


Mills  of  God 

not  yet  descended,  I  withdrew  into  the 
library  to  wait.  While  I  was  there,  Lord 
Harry,  with  a  guitar  in  his  hand,  came  to 
the  foot  of  the  stairs  and  sang,  for  he  had 
an  excellent  gift  at  improvisation  : 

"  O  Elinor,  my  lady,  shine  forth  in  your  beauty, 

The  skies  all  are  weeping  for  heaven's  lost  blue ; 
And  to  show  us  your  radiance  is  only  a  duty, 
For  the  sun's  hid  her  face  because  jealous  of  you." 

I  but  mention  the  incident  to  show  the 
intimacy  with  which  this  time  proceeded. 
For  my  lady  and  Lord  Harry  it  was  in- 
deed constant  companionship,  which  fell  not 
alone  by  reason  of  the  strong  attraction 
each  felt  for  the  other,  but  by  dint  of  the 
following  circumstances :  The  first  was 
the  riding  away  of  Sir  Alan  to  visit  some 
of  his  American  kinsfolk  in  Williamsburg ; 
and  the  second,  the  falling  ill  of  Madame 
Dulany,  who  seized  this  most  inopportune 
time  for  one  of  those  attacks  to  which  she 
Was  a  victim,  requiring  the  seclusion  of  her 
58 


Mills  of  God 

own  rooms  and   the    constant  attendance 
of  Mistress  Randolph. 

It  so  fell  that  many  days  were  spent  by 
Lady  Elinor  and  Lord  Bedford  under  the 
beeches,  by  the  brook,  or  rowing  along  the 
river  banks  in  an  intimacy  which  seemed 
to  me  to  be  playing  indeed  very  close  to 
the  fire.  There  was  one  fair  day  in  early 
June  that  they  had  been  in  the  apple  or- 
chard together ;  and  my  lady,  having  torn 
a  rent  in  her  gown,  was  for  withdrawing 
to  have  it  repaired,  or  to  exchange  it  for 
another. 

"  Don't  go,"  my  lord  said  to  her,  plead- 
ing with  real  humbleness,  "  don't  go — I 
can  not  spare  you  so  long  away  from  me.' 
The  scarlet  came  into  her  face,  and  I 
thought  for  a  minute  she  would  leave  him 
in  anger,  though  in  the  end  she  did  but  sit 
down  beside  him  on  the  garden  seat,  say- 
ing it  was  no  great  matter,  and  could  easily 
go  till  dressing  time. 

59 


Mills  of  God 

There  was  that  done  in  those  short  five 
weeks  which  many  were  forced  to  repent 
for  all  time.  There  was  no  excusing  pos- 
sible for  Lord  Bedford,  to  my  way  of 
thinking,  for  he  was  a  man  of  the  world 
who  knew  the  force  of  his  conduct ;  but 
for  my  lady  much  might  be  said — her 
great  beauty  and  charm  bringing  near  her 
temptations  which  most  women  never 
know,  while  behind  her  (as  shall  fall  to  be 
known)  was  a  heredity  of  entire  lawless- 
ness, such  as  few  natures  have  ever  to  con- 
tend with.  Had  she  been  allowed,  how- 
ever, to  follow  her  nature's  leading  instead 
of  yielding  to  her  mother's  wishes,  she 
would  have  been  able  to  give  herself  law- 
fully where  her  heart  had  found  its  master. 
It  was  at  the  close  of  June,  Sir  William 
having  been  absent  then  about  five  weeks, 
that  we  were  in  the  grounds  till  late  in 
the  evening,  where  Mistress  Randolph  had 
sent  us  out  a  great  dish  of  new-picked 
60 


Mills  of  God 

cherries.  Lady  Elinor  and  Lord  Bedford 
were  standing  close  together,  and  I  saw — 
for  I  watched  them  ever  with  eyes  full  of 
love  for  my  lady  and  loyalty  to  Sir  Wil- 
liam— that  she  reached  him  a  cherry,  that 
he  threw  his  head  a  little  back  as  though 
waiting  her  to  put  it  to  his  lips,  that  a 
glance  passed  between  them,  and  in  an- 
other second  his  arms  were  around  her 
and  their  lips  clung  together.  It  was  in- 
sanity, apart  from  its  being  a  great  wrong, 
for  there  was  but  the  tree's  trunk  be- 
tween them  and  the  rest ;  but  I  think, 
before  Heaven,  had  they  been  in  a  crowded 
drawing  -  room  it  would  have  been  the 
same. 

I  walked  home  that  night  with  my 
head  on  my  breast.  It  was  of  Elinor  Graf- 
ton,  I  thought ;  it  was  of  Elinor  Grafton 
I  was  always  thinking,  and  shall  be  when 
the  light  of  this  world  fades  before  my 
dying  eyes,  and  the  light  of  a  better  one, 
61 


Mills  of  God 

please  God,  shall  dawn  before  my  re- 
awakened spirit. 

I  sat  late  and  restless  in  the  reading- 
room  that  night,  miserable  in  mind,  and 
feeling  as  one  who  has  betrayed  a  trust 
unwittingly,  when  I  heard  a  low  tap  at  the 
window,  and  there  on  the  outside  stood  my 
lady,  all  in  white,  with  a  long  cloak  about 
her,  and  pale  as  one  dead.  I  arose,  mechan- 
ically, to  let  her  in. 

"  Robin,"  she  said,  with  her  hands 
clasped  before  her  and  a  wild  look  in  her 
beautiful  eyes  (it  was  the  first  time  she 
had  ever  called  me  by  the  given  name),  "  I 
want  very  much  to  come  back  to  my  own 
home.  I  want  that  there  shall  be  some 
good  excuse  to  give  forth  why  I  shall 

come.  I  want "  and  with  this  she  sat 

down  beside  the  heavy  oak  table,  in  Sir 
William's  own  chair,  the  sight  of  which,  I 
think,  had  touched  her  with  the  memory 
of  her  absent  lord,  and  fell  into  such  a 
62 


Mills  of  God 

storm  of  weeping  as  drove  me  almost  daft 
with  pain,  and  yet  gave  me  a  kind  of  re- 
joicing, too,  that  all  was  not  so  bad,  and 
that  my  lady  might  yet  be  saved. 

I  tried  to  make  what  comfort  of  mind 
I  could  for  her,  telling  her  that  there  was 
no  need  of  returning  to  her  mother's  house 
at  all ;  saying  that  it  could  be  easily  given 
forth  that  Sir  William  had  apprised  me  by 
packet  of  his  return  (which  was  true),  and 
that  she  had  chosen  to  come  back  with  me 
to  have  the  house  set  in  order. 

"  It  would  not  do,"  she  returned  ;  "  for 
the  look  of  things  I  must  go  back,  but 
come  you  early  in  the  morning.  I  shall 
be  ready  to  return  with  you."  Rising  and 
drying  her  eyes,  she  said,  most  abruptly: 
"  I  know  all  about  you,  Robin — of  the 
poor  bedridden  father,  who  lives  among 
the  Scottish  heather,  to  whom  you  send 
the  bulk  of  your  earnings;  of  the  blacks 
you  teach ;  of  the  simple  faith  which  makes 

63 


Mills  of  God 

you  thank  God  for  the  lot  he  has  given 
you,  that  many  would  receive  with  scant 
gratitude.  I  know  all,  and  it  makes  me 
trust  you.  Believe  me,  there  is  none  in  all 
the  world  whom  I  trust  more — you  are  so 
good." 

My  heart  felt  as  if  it  would  break  with 
joy,  and,  as  she  turned  away,  she  said,  as 
simply  and  earnestly  as  a  little  child  might 
have  done,  "  I  want  to  be  good  and  true, 
too,  Robin." 


64 


CHAPTER  IV 

IT  fell  easily,  as  we  had  planned,  and 
the  next  morning,  leaving  farewells  for  the 
gentlemen  and  a  note  for  her  mother,  she 
accompanied  me  home  before  the  Dulany 
household  was  yet  astir,  and  went  directly 
to  her  rooms.  It  was  more  than  a  week — I 
think,  to  be  accurate,  it  was  the  ninth  day — 
before  she  was  able  to  descend  again,  being 
seized  with  a  fever  which,  after  raging  for 
a  time,  would  leave  her  to  shake  with  cold 
and  the  teeth  to  chatter  in  her  head. 

All  this  time  Lord  Bedford  did  but 
scour  the  country,  racing  the  horses  till 
they  were  covered  with  foam  and  lather, 
and  gathering  a  main  bad  name  for  a 
hard  rider  through  the  country-side.  The 
65 


Mills  of  God 

man  looked  haggard,  and  wild,  and  un- 
happy. There  was  still  no  talk  of  his  leav- 
ing, though  I  waited  with  ears  of  impa- 
tience to  hear  the  first  rumours  of  his  de- 
parture ;  Sir  Alan,  I  knew,  was  anxious 
to  be  off,  and  the  ship  had  been  repaired 
and  ready  to  sail  any  time  for  a  fortnight 
back. 

It  was  during  this  time  that  Madame 
Dulany's  affairs  became  clearer  to  my 
understanding.  I  was  sitting  one  day, 
drowsing  over  some  accounts,  when  I  sud- 
denly bethought  me  of  the  fact  that  Lord 
Bedford  was  next  in  succession  to  the 
Marquis  of  Sefton,  he  having  no  direct 
issue  and  being  aged  ;  and  I  fell  to  wonder- 
ing who  was  the  personage  so  great  as  to 
be  able  to  send  one  of  the  first  gentlemen 
of  Europe  across  the  seas  on  an  errand 
to  a  private  lady.  Surely  none  but  royalty 
itself,  I  thought ;  and  then,  as  Lord  Harry's 
intimacy  with  the  Prince  of  Wales  was  re- 
66 


Mills  of  God 


called  to  me,  the  conduct  of  Madame  Du- 
lany,  when  the  wrongs  of  women  were 
mentioned,  I  can  not  affirm  that  I  reasoned, 
but  there  came  such  a  strong  suspicion  that 
later,  when  the  truth  was  broke  to  me,  it 
came  rather  as  corroboration  of  news  than 
as  news  itself. 

The  first  time  that  Lady  Elinor  was 
down,  sitting  for  greater  comfort  on  the 
veranda,  as  the  day  was  sultry,  Lord  Bed- 
ford crossed  the  foot-bridge  and  came  up 
the  path  which,  but  seven  weeks  before,  he 
had  trod  so  gaily.  His  face  was  drawn 
and  very  pale  as  he  ascended  the  steps  into 
my  lady's  presence.  What  was  said  in  the 
long  interview  that  followed  I  can  not,  of 
course,  set  down  ;  but  twice  I  saw  her  rise 
as  though  she  would  leave  him,  and  at  the 
end  of  it  he  went  away  without  entering 
the  house ;  and  his  countenance,  as  he 
went,  was  that  of  one  who  has  been  faced 
with  death. 

67 


Mills  of  God 

The  next  morning  it  was  given  out  that 
the  two  gentlemen  would  be  leaving  on 
the  following  day,  and  two  letters  passed 
between  Lady  Elinor  and  Lord  Harry, 
both  of  which  I  carried.  It  was  at  a  much 
later  date  that  the  journal  itself  and  the 
two  letters,  which  I  set  below,  came  into 
my  possession  in  a  manner  which  I  will 
hereafter  make  known. 

From  Elinor  Graf  ton  to  Henry,  Lord  Bedford 

"  I  write  to  you  trustingly,  as  I  know  I 
may,  lovingly,  as  I  know  I  should  not,  to 
ask  you  to  go  away  without  seeing  me 
again.  We  have  been  foolish,  but  I  be- 
lieve nothing  worse,  and  I  would  that  you 
might  ever  think  of  me  as  one  who  had 
the  desire  to  be  good  and  faithful  to  the 
trusts  her  life  had  given  her.  Life  can 
never  seem  the  same  again,  but  I  will  not — 
nay,  I  can  not — hurt  a  human  thing  that 
trusts  me.  I  can  feel,  even  in  my  despair, 
68 


Mills  of  God 

that  there  is  more  to  life  than  personal  in- 
clination, and  see,  although  but  blindly, 
through  the  mists,  that  it  is  better  to  sac- 
rifice myself  for  truth  and  honour  than 
even  to  have  your  love.  Oh,  go,  while  I 
have  strength  to  let  you  go  !  When  I 
remember " 

Here  the  letter  is  torn  off.    Thus  it  was 
when  it  came  into  my  possession. 

From  Henry  Bedford  to  Lady  Elinor  Graf  ton 

"  DEAREST  :  I  am  going  away,  as  you 
tell  me  to  do.  The  fault  has  all  been  mine  ; 
I  would  that  all  the  suffering  might  be 
mine  as  well.  Will  you  always  remember 
that  the  love  I  have  for  you  is  as  pure  and 
high  as  a  man  can  give  a  woman,  and  such 
that,  were  you  free,  would  make  you  my 
wife  to-day  ?  Believe  me  when  I  say  that 
it  makes  a  better  man  of  me,  and  most 
of  all,  believe  that  I  would  not  forego 
6  69 


Mills  of  God 

the   pain   of    it   if   it   included   forgetting 
Thee. 

"  I  try  hard  to  think  of  the  rights  of  that 
other  one ;  but,  oh,  Beloved,  have  we  no 
rights  ?  If  I  were  he,  and  you  loved  an- 
other as — I  may  write  it  once,  may  I  not, 
just  to  feel  my  heart  beat  louder  while  I 
write  it  ? — as  you  love  me,  I  should  de- 
mand no  sacrifice  of  you  like  this.  You 
judge  differently,  and  you  may  be  right. 
You  speak  of  your  love  for  your  husband, 
and  I  read  it  with  no  jealousy,  knowing 
its  kind,  and  admiring  to  the  full  the  loyal 
heart  that  gives  it. 

"  You  have  given  me  no  alternative 
save  to  go.  God  bless  you,  Elinor,  now 
and  always,  and  in  the  drear  days  to  come 
for  both  of  us,  remember  that  there  is 
one — your  slave,  your  husband  that  should 
have  been,  who  is  till  death,  and  even  to 
that  far  beyond,  Thine, 

"  BEDFORD." 
70 


Mills  of  God 

All  the  next  day  my  lady  walked 
restlessly  about  the  house,  never  seeming 
to  content  herself  anywhere,  and  appearing 
ever  to  have  a  feverish  anxiety  to  be  oc- 
cupied. 

There  was  a  box  of  new  books  came 
that  morning,  and  she  ordered  it  opened 
immediately  for  her  inspection,  laying  all, 
save  one,  aside  as  being  of  little  moment. 
It  was  this  one  that  she  held,  her  finger 
marking  the  place  where  she  was  reading, 
as  she  came  down  the  long  hall  after 
supper  to  the  bench  where  I  sat  smoking. 

"  Robin,"  she  said,  "  will  you  give  me 
your  arm  to  the  laurel  seat  ?  I  make  sure 
I  can  walk  so  far." 

Laying  aside  my  pipe,  I  arose  with 
much  pleasure,  and  together  we  walked 
through  the  early  gloaming,  over  the  sun- 
scorched  grass.  It  was  evident  that  Lady 
Elinor's  mind  was  neither  with  me  nor 
with  her  book,  yet,  with  the  admirable 


Mills  of  God 

breeding  she  ever  displayed,  she  endeav- 
oured to  conceal  her  mood,  nor  in  any  way 
to  admit  me  to  the  privacy  of  her  feelings. 

"  It  is  a  great  man,  this  Burns,"  she 
said,  looking  down  at  the  book.  "  You 
of  Scotland  should  be  proud  of  him." 

I  laughed  aloud  at  some  remembrance, 
and  my  lady  questioned  me  with  her  eyes. 

"  I  fitted  for  the  university,"  I  hastened 
to  explain,  "  with  an  uncle  who  lives  in 
Edinburgh,  and  there  fell  much  with  this 
same  Robert.  My  uncle,  an  uncommon 
learned  but  narrow  man,  could  never  ac- 
count for  the  infatuation  so  many,  myself 
among  them,  felt  for  Burns's  society.  One 
day  a  gentleman  urged  Robert's  cleverness 
upon  my  uncle,  who  responded  grimly : 
'  It's  all  very  well,  writing  doggerel  about 
lice  and  other  vermin,  but  cleverness  has 
nothing  at  all  to  do  with  it.  A  man  either 
is  or  is  not  a  gentleman.  Bobby  Burns  is 
not  a  gentleman."1 

72 


Mills  of  God 

"  What  a  heresy  ! "  my  lady  said,  smil- 
ing a  little,  but  with  a  watch  kept  con- 
stantly on  the  rise,  at  the  turn  of  the  road, 
which  lay  between  us  and  the  Dulany 
house.  I  threw  myself  at  her  feet  in  the 
grass  and  watched  the  day's  ending.  There 
was  a  sunlit  ribbon  around  the  west.  I 
saw  it  fade,  and  the  midsummer  moon 
grow  large  and  full,  and  yet  she  neither 
spoke  nor  stirred. 

Suddenly  the  hounds,  over  the  hill,  be- 
gan to  bay  ;  then,  with  a  sweep  and  a  dash, 
a  blowing  of  horns  and  hallooing,  a  party 
of  riders  came  up  the  turn  in  the  road.  I 
saw — we  both  saw — Lord  Bedford  check 
his  horse  for  a  moment,  and  with  the  light 
full  in  his  face  and  with  a  grace  of  move- 
ment such  as  I  have  never  seen  in  any 
other,  wave  his  hand  toward  Deepdeen ; 
then,  with  another  halloo,  the  party  disap- 
peared round  the  turn. 

Lady  Elinor  started  to  her  feet,  and  I 
73 


Mills  of  God 

made  sure  at  first  that  she  would  call  to 
him.  She  only  stood  still,  however,  with 
her  hands  clenched  and  her  eyes  dilated,  as 
was  her  way  whenever  she  suffered.  She 
stood  thus,  her  head  thrust  forward  a  little, 
listening  until  even  the  baying  of  the  dogs 
could  no  longer  be  heard,  when,  throwing 
her  hands  wide  apart,  with  her  face  turned 
back  to  the  sky,  she  cried,  "  Harry  !"  and 
dropped  unconscious  at  my  feet. 


74 


CHAPTER  V 

OF  the  year  following  Lord  Bedford's 
departure  there  is  little  to  write.  We 
knew,  at  the  first,  that  he  did  not  return 
to  England,  but  joined,  at  Norfolk,  a 
party  of  adventurers  in  some  fatuous  ex- 
pedition against  the  Indians  of  the  far 
West.  There  was  small  doubt  that  the 
man  hoped  to  ease  an  aching  heart  by 
excitement  and  the  wild  kind  of  travel 
into  which  he  would  be  forced.  Then  a 
silence  concerning  him  endured  for  some 
time,  ere  there  came  to  us  by  way  of 
Williamsburg  a  great  concern  for  the  ex- 
plorers, nothing  having  been  heard  from 
them  since  the  time  of  their  setting  forth. 
In  February,  however,  the  old  Judge  Fair- 
75 


Mills  of  God 

fax  came  in  upon  us  suddenly  one  after- 
noon, in  a  state  of  excitement  bordering 
on  a  seizure,  to  tell  us  with  horridness  of 
detail  of  the  butchery  of  the  entire  party 
by  the  Indians.  Nothing  was  left  to  the 
imagination  in  the  telling,  Sir  William 
(who  knew  Lord  Bedford  but  by  name) 
encouraging  the  narration  needlessly,  it 
seemed  to  me,  for  his  own  curiosity  and 
entertainment.  During  the  long  afternoon 
and  the  dinner  which  followed,  Lady  Elinor 
sat  quietly  with  us,  nor  did  she  by  word 
or  sign  show  that  the  news  was  of  special 
purport  to  her.  I  marvelled  at  the  splen- 
did courage  of  this  girl,  and  when  I  heard 
her  walking  back  and  forth  in  her  room 
all  night  long,  my  heart  bled  for  her  in  this 
sorrow,  which  I  knew  would  be  most  nobly 
borne. 

In  the  time  immediately  following  this 
intelligence  her  condition  was  pathetic  in 
the  extreme.     She  was  listless  in  her  work, 
76 


Mills  of  God 

more  listless  in  her  leisure,  with  a  great 
growing  upon  her  of  her  mother's  habits 
of  inattention  and  brooding.  Sir  William 
spoke  several  times  to  me  of  her  pallor, 
her  lack  of  spirits,  and  the  seriousness  of 
her,  which  he  feared  came  from  overwork 
on  the  books ;  and  matters  were  at  this 
stand  in  May,  when  Sir  William  was  off 
for  the  North  again,  and  my  lady,  very 
much  against  her  will,  was  due  to  make 
some  long-promised  visits  in  the  neigh- 
bouring towns. 

One  of  these  was  to  the  Stanley-Ma- 
sons, in  Williamsburg,  a  house  party  in 
honour  of  the  coming  of  age  of  their  old- 
est son,  having  been  projected  for  the  first 
week  in  June.  They  had  included  me  in 
this  invitation,  by  reason  of  the  fondness 
their  boy,  Michael,  had  conceived  for  me 
while  visiting  the  year  before  at  Deepdeen. 
The  guests  had  been  dancing  the  evening 
of  our  arrival,  and  about  eleven  the  ladies 
77 


Mills  of  God 

ascended  to  their  rooms,  leaving  the  men 
to  smoke  and  drink  a  little  more  before 
retiring  for  the  night.  There  had  been 
some  suggestions  made  of  my  brewing  a 
bowl  of  punch  to  add  to  the  sangaree,  and 
merriment  was  at  its  highest,  when  it  was 
announced  that  a  party  of  adventurers, 
some  of  whom  were  friends  of  mine  host, 
desired  lodgment  for  the  night. 

They  were  ushered  into  the  great  dining- 
hall,  and,  as  I  looked  at  them,  my  amazed 
eyes  rested  on  Lord  Bedford,  as  the  fore- 
most of  their  number.  He  was  so  changed 
that,  but  for  the  grace  of  his  manner  and 
the  warmth  of  his  eye,  I  should  not  have 
recognised  him.  He  appeared  much  older, 
his  face  hard  and  drawn  and  reckless.  I 
never  liked  the  man,  but,  as  I  looked, 
sorrow  for  him  rose  in  my  heart,  and,  ad- 
vancing toward  him,  I  welcomed  him  with 
a  warmth  which,  but  an  hour  before,  I 
should  have  deemed  impossible. 

78 


Mills  of  God 

We  sat  at  the  board  together,  and, 
though  he  talked  of  his  adventures  and 
asked  in  a  general  way  for  the  Deepdeen 
people,  no  mention  was  made  directly  of 
my  lady  ;  and  when  he  told  me  they  would 
all  be  off  in  the  morning  before  daybreak, 
I  thanked  God  and  kept  my  tongue. 

When  the  guests'  rooms  had  been  made 
ready,  it  fell  to  my  share  to  escort  Lord 
Bedford  to  his  chamber,  which  was  up 
another  set  of  stairs  from  those  in  the 
main  building.  When  I  reached  it,  I  found 
that,  by  some  devil's  chance,  the  room 
apportioned  him  was  directly  next  to  that 
of  Lady  Elinor,  with  a  door  between.  I 
was  staying  for  a  few  last  words,  when  a 
sound  of  gay  questioning  came  to  our  ears, 
and  immediately  my  lady's  voice  was  dis- 
tinctly heard  in  answer. 

Lord  Bedford  was  holding  a  riding-crop 
in  his  hand,  and  at  the  sound  he  dropped 
it,  and  his  face  went  ashy  pale,  but  he 
79 


Mills  of  God 

made  no  comment,  and  soon  after  bade  me 
a  most  hearty  good-night. 

The  next  hours  were  full  of  fear  and 
unrest.  About  one,  sleep  being  impos- 
sible, I  arose  and  picked  up  a  volume  of 
some  German  poetry,  intending  to  read 
something  to  pass  the  weary  time.  Open- 
ing the  book  at  random,  my  eye  lighted 
on  these  ill-omened  words  : 

"  Far  in  the  distance  sang  a  nightingale, 
and  one  star,  the  loveliest  of  all,  fell  adown 
from  heaven." 

It  seems  as  if  it  were  impossible  for 
me  to  set  down  what  I  desire  should  here 
follow — this  extract  from  my  lady's  journal. 

I  finger  lovingly  the  worn  cover  to 
this  story  of  a  great  love,  and  hesitate 
still.  None  can  chide  me  more  than  I  do 
myself  for  lack  of  delicacy  and  reserve  in 
setting  it  below.  I  have  pondered  long 
as  to  whether  it  would  not  be  better  for 
me  to  tell  the  tale  in  my  own  rough  way, 
80 


Mills  of  God 

but  in  the  end  have  deemed  it  best,  as 
bringing  the  clearest  understanding  of  her, 
to  let  one  of  the  truest  women  who  ever 
made  mistakes  for  love  and  passion  speak 
in  her  own  words,  as  she  wrote  them  three 
weeks  later,  after  our  return  to  Deepdeen. 

From  My  Lady's  Journal 

"  It  was  after  one  of  the  dreariest  even- 
ings of  my  life  that  I  retired  to  my  rooms 
earlier  than  usual,  by  reason  of  a  hunting 
party  which  was  to  be  in  the  morning, 
upon  which  my  heart  was  a  little  set.  I 
was  made  ready  for  retiring,  and  Josephine 
had  left  me  for  the  night.  I  had  slept, 
perhaps,  but  a  quarter  of  an  hour,  when 
there  came  clamouring  to  my  door  some 
voices  to  tell  me  what  time  we  should 
set  forth.  I  answered  them  and  they  went 
away — when,  suddenly,  through  my  brain, 
my  soul  rather,  came  a  consciousness  of  a 
great  light — a  great  lifting — ah  !  there  are 
81 


Mills  of  God 

no  words  in  all  language  to  tell  this  feeling 
that  possessed  me,  for  it  seemed  as  though 
to  me,  who  had  been  dead  so  long,  life 
came  back  at  the  fullest  flood  of  tide.  All 
this  came  to  me,  I  swear,  from  no  outside 
sound,  for  it  was  a  full  minute  later,  as  we 
count  time,  when,  from  the  door  to  the 
adjoining  apartment,  came  a  sound  of  sing- 
ing— a  lilt,  with  a  bluebird's  call  at  the 
end — which  my  heart  leaped  for  joy  at 
sound  of. 

"There  was  but  one  other  in  all  this 
wide  world  who  knew  it,  for  we  had  made 
it  together,  in  one  of  God's  own  days,  in 
the  apple  orchard  at  Deepdeen,  two  years 
before. 

"  I  reached  in  the  dim  light  for  a  dress- 
ing-gown, and  in  that  tense,  passionate  si- 
lence, with  my  heart  rapping  on  the  walls  of 
my  body  and  a  tightness  as  of  pain  gathering 
at  my  throat,  went  to  the  door  of  the  adjoin- 
ing room.  Putting  my  ear  close  to  it,  I 
82 


Mills  of  God 

listened.  I  knew,  even  before  the  low  rap 
came,  that  he  was  there ;  and  at  the  second, 
which  came  directly  against  my  heart  itself, 
I  drew  the  bolt  and  threw  the  door  wide 
open.  In  another  moment  he  had  thrown 
himself  at  my  feet,  sobbing  great  sobs  which 
seemed  to  tear  his  very  frame.  There  was 
much  change  in  him  ;  his  face  was  drawn 
and  thin,  but  his  eyes  were  still  the  same, 
and  the  Marriage  Look  passed  between  us, 
the  meaning  of  Life  was  clear,  and  Right 
and  Wrong  and  duties  to  others,  and  all 
that  was  and  is,  and  ever  shall  be,  became 
as  nothing  beside  the  man  my  heart  had 
chosen  for  its  own." 


CHAPTER   VI 

THE  next  morning  the  rain  fell  in  tor- 
rents, so  that  none  could  stir  abroad.  Lord 
Bedford  and  his  party  were  prevailed  on  to 
remain,  and,  the  horrid  weather  continuing, 
it  was  not  until  the  end  of  the  fourth  day 
that  the  roads  were  considered  passable. 
During  all  this  time  my  lady  kept  her 
room,  it  being  given  forth  that  she  was 
suffering  from  some  illness. 

There  was  little  of  the  day  that  I  was 
far  away  from  Lord  Bedford,  the  whole 
party  being  kept  indoors  and  diverting 
themselves  by  tales  of  the  adventurers,  to 
which  the  ladies  especially  listened  with 
breathless  interest. 

Of  him  I  could  gain  nothing,  however, 
84 


Mills  of  God 

the  very  lawlessness  of  his  career  having 
wrought  such  experiences  around  him  as 
to  give  him  a  great  power  of  dissimulation 
when  he  found  it  expedient.  He  left  with 
me,  at  his  departure,  the  deepest  regrets  at 
not  having  seen  my  lady,  and  begged  me  to 
assure  her  of  his  devoted  remembrance. 

His  manner  was  so  frank  that  I  be- 
came ashamed  of  my  suspicions,  and  fell  to 
pondering  that  very  afternoon  on  the  prob- 
able foolishness  of  my  anxiety  and  the 
number  of  times  I  had  misjudged  others. 
I  was  thus  engaged,  the  matter  still  stick- 
ing hard  in  my  mind,  when  Lady  Elinor 
came  upon  me  in  the  billiard-room. 

Her  eyes  fell  as  they  encountered  mine. 
She  was  dressed  in  white,  like  a  bride,  and 
there  was  an  excited  joyousness  in  her 
manner,  a  radiance  of  bearing,  such  as  I 
had  never  seen.  I  marvelled  much  at  this. 
It  was  corroboration  of  none  of  my 
thoughts.  Surely  no  woman  could  look 

7  8 


Mills  of  God 

so  who  had  just  lost  a  lover,  and  yet  nc 
woman  like  Lady  Elinor,  methought,  could 
appear  like  this  who  had  just  unlawfully 
gained  one. 

It  was  gone  a  full  fortnight  before  Sir 
William  returned,  tanned  and  rugged-look- 
ing, in  high  good  spirits  at  the  success  of 
his  enterprise,  and  in  being  once  more 
united  to  his  beloved  wife.  Almost  im- 
mediately we  returned  to  Deepdeen,  and  it 
was  the  second  day  of  our  arrival  that  I 
learned  some  news  which  I  could  but  think 
had  come  from  Lady  Elinor's  wish — that 
the  house  was  soon  to  be  closed,  and  she 
taken  to  England,  with  which  country  she 
was  unfamiliar,  where  she  might  meet  the 
members  of  her  husband's  family  for  the 
first  time. 

She  did  nothing  but  make  merry  over 
the  plan  ;  and  one  day,  while  she  was  chat- 
tering gaily  with  Sir  William,  her  mother, 
who  had  grown  to  be  more  and  more  of  a 
86 


Mills  of  God 

recluse,  so  that  it  was  a  most  unusual  thing 
for  her  to  do,  came  in  to  the  large  hall  and 
joined  the  tea-drinking  party.  She  looked 
even  more  anxious  than  was  her  wont,  and, 
after  the  rest  of  us  had  gone  out  on  the 
lawn,  sat  for  a  long  time  closeted  with  Sir 
William ;  when  he  called  me  to  him  some 
little  time  later  I  could  see  that  she  had 
been  crying.  It  was  some  letters  he 
wanted  from  an  adjoining  room,  for  he 
had  gradually  fallen  into  the  management 
of  all  of  Mistress  Dulany's  affairs,  and 
while  I  was  searching  for  them  I  heard 
her  say: 

"You  spoil  her,  Sir  William.  She  is 
too  much  of  a  child  to  know  what  she 
wants ;  but  if  you  love  her  and  wish  to 
shield  her,  keep  her  out  of  England." 

I  thought  at  the  time  that  Mistress 
Dulany  had  suspected  what  was  known  to 
me  and  wondered  at  her  speaking  thus- 
wise  to  Sir  William,  but  I  found  later  it 
8? 


Mills  of  God 

was  of  quite  a  different  matter  she  was 
thinking. 

Then  fell  a  period  of  indecision  on  the 
family ;  for  two  or  three  months  I  could 
make  nothing  of  their  movements,  Lady 
Elinor  acting  like  a  creature  that  was 
above  human  responsibility,  and  Sir  Wil- 
liam regarding  her  with  looks  akin  to  wor- 
ship. One  day,  late  in  September,  it  was 
given  out,  however,  that  the  journey  was 
indefinitely  postponed,  and  that  the  Vir- 
ginia house  would  be  kept  open  through 
the  winter. 

It  was  impossible  by  circumstances  for 
me  to  be  kept  much  longer  in  ignorance  of 
the  cause  of  all  this  variability,  and  I  fell  in 
with  the  family  anxiety,  which  lasted  till 
thirteenth  of  February,  1801. 

I  remember  well  the  time.      The  day 

had  been  gray  and  lowering,  with  a  fierce 

wind    blowing  in   from   the   east ;    a  light 

snow  had  fallen  the  night  before  and  had 

88 


Mills  of  God 

been  frozen  in  over  the  gray  boughs  of  the 
trees. 

All  day  long  Lady  Elinor  had  tossed 
in  bed  with  a  burning  fever,  and  hoarse 
and  delirious  cries.  Just  at  nightfall  a 
furious  tempest  broke,  snow  and  hail 
and  wind  blowing  around  the  house,  the 
ice  on  the  tree  limbs  crackling  and  being 
hurled  like  bullets  against  the  window- 
panes,  adding  to  the  paroxysm  of  disorder 
out  of  doors.  It  was  on  toward  eleven  of 
the  evening,  little  hope  being  then  given 
that  she  would  live,  when,  in  a  lull  of  the 
storm,  I  was  asked  to  go  over  to  Madame 
Dulany's  house  for  some  necessaries.  Run- 
ning to  one  of  the  outhouses  for  a  lantern,  I 
became  aware  of  a  man  standing  just  inside 
the  door.  I  was  so  distraught  with  grief 
and  anxiety  that  nothing  seemed  unusual, 
and  fear  was  far  from  me ;  my  throat  was 
choked  with  sobs,  but  as  plainly  as  I  could 
speak  I  asked  him  what  he  did.  There 

89 


Mills  of  God 

was  no  answer  for  a  minute,  and  then, 
throwing  back  the  hood  he  wore,  the  man 
turned  his  full  face  toward  me.  It  was 
Henry  Bedford. 

It  seemed  as  if,  in  this  moment,  all  dis- 
simulation dropped  from  us  both,  and  our 
naked  souls  regarded  each  other.  He  es- 
sayed to  speak  twice  before  he  was  able 
to  utter  a  sound,  but  finally  asked,  "  How 
is  she  ?  " 

"  No  better,"  I  answered  ;  "  the  doctors 
have  told  Sir  William  to  expect  the  worst." 

"  Sir  William  ! "  he  cried  out,  "  Sir  Wil- 
liam !  What  is  it  to  him  ?  It  is  I — I  who 
should  be  there.  She  is  my  wife — mine 
before  Heaven  ! "  and  he  made  as  though 
he  would  burst  into  the  house. 

"  Listen  ! "  I  said,  holding  him  back. 
"  She  would  not  know  you  ;  but  stay  you 
here,  and  I  will  come  as  often  as  I  can  and 
tell  you  how  she  fares." 

The  hut  in  which  he  was  sheltered  was 
9P 


Mills  of  God 

but  the  merest  shell  of  a  place,  where  gar- 
den tools  and  such  things  were  kept ;  the 
floor  this  night  was  but  a  bed  of  frozen 
mud,  and  the  wind  roared  through  the 
open  chinks  between  the  boards.  I  left 
the  distraught  man  standing  just  inside  the 
door,  as  I  had  found  him,  and  hastened  on 
my  errand. 

On  my  return  from  the  Dulany  house 
with  the  articles  Madame  Dulany  had  re- 
quired, I  went  into  the  library.  Sir  Wil- 
liam* was  sitting  by  the  reading-table ;  his 
neckcloth  had  become  disarranged ;  what 
could  be  seen  of  his  face,  for  he  had  cov- 
ered his  eyes  'with  both  hands,  was  ashen 
pale.  Father  Spofford  was  there,  but  when 
he  came  to  Sir  William  as  though  he 
would  speak,  he  was  motioned  away,  as  by 
one  who  could  bear  no  words. 

As  I  withdrew  into  the  hall,  Father 
Spofford  followed  me. 

"  There  is  some  change  ? "  I  inquired. 


Mills  of  God 

"  There  is  no  change,"  and  then  in  a 
whisper,  so  that  Sir  William  could  not 
hear,  "  Dr.  Prout  says  she  will  die  within 
the  hour." 

There  has  come  to  me  in  my  life  much 
grief  and  sorrow,  but  the  suffering  of  it 
all,  ten  times  told,  would  not  be  so  great 
as  what  I  endured  in  that  moment.  Some- 
thing like  a  hand  of  burning  iron  seized 
my  chest,  my  thoughts  whirled  as  in  a 
delirium,  and  my  knees  went  from  under 
me  so  that  I  tottered,  and,  but  for  Father 
Spofford,  would  have  fallen. 

"  Come,  come,  Robin,  man,"  he  said, 
"  you  must  not  give  way  like  this.  Come 
with  me." 

Entering  the  dining-room,  he  poured 
out  a  glass  of  brandy,  which  with  great 
difficulty  I  swallowed,  and  with  this  there 
came  the  remembrance  of  the  other  poor 
wretch  in  the  grounds.  Hastily  bundling 
up  some  rugs  and  a  bottle  of  spirits,  I 
92 


Mills  of  God 

staggered  forth,  the  household  so  distracted 
by  the  dreadful  calamity  and  the  horridness 
of  the  storm  that  none  wondered.  As  I 
neared  the  hut  the  man  came  toward  me 
from  the  door. 

"How  is  it?"  he  asked,  clutching  me 
by  the  coat-sleeve  as  I  met  him. 

I  could  not  speak.  In  the  dim  light 
of  the  lantern  he  saw  the  ill  news  in  my 
face. 

"  There  is  no  hope  ?  Speak,  man  ;  for 
God's  sake,  speak  ! " 

"  None,"  I  answered. 

He  stood  perfectly  still  for  a  few  min- 
utes, and  then,  with  an  awful  sound,  as  of 
dissolution,  fell  at  my  feet. 

Thought  for  his  care  overcame  my 
greater  grief,  for  the  moment  at  least. 
There  was  a  rough  kind  of  trellis,  which 
had  been  used  for  vines,  stood  up  against 
the  wall,  and  turning  this  over,  I  put  the 
rugs  on  it,  and  made  what  kind  of  comfort 
93 


Mills  of  God 

I  could  for  him,  forcing  the  brandy,  which 
I  had  brought,  between  his  clenched  teeth  ; 
but  he  still  lay  like  death.  Opening  his 
clothes  to  feel  his  heart,  fearing,  with 
a  kind  of  jealousy,  too,  that  perhaps  his 
soul  and  hers  would  go  away  together,  I 
found  his  shirt  covered  with  blood.  He 
had  sustained  a  horrid  gash  under  the 
shoulder-blade,  and  the  wound  was  bleed- 
ing still. 

It  was  a  nasty  place  to  dress  such  a 
hurt,  but,  with  what  skill  I  could,  I  es- 
sayed the  attempt,  and  was  rewarded,  in 
a  little  while,  by  seeing  the  man  open  his 
eyes.  I  administered  more  brandy  to  him, 
and  he  was  soon  enough  recovered  to  stand 
upon  his  feet  and  to  totter  over  to  the  door, 
from  which  place  he  could  see  the  lights 
in  my  lady's  room  and  the  shadows  as  they 
passed  to  and  fro  on  the  blinds. 

He  on  one  side  of  the  door  and  I  on 
the  other,  we  stood  and  listened.  Sud- 
94 


Mills  of  God 

denly,  above  the  storm,  there  came  a  cry 
that  rent  the  night  in  twain. 

"  Wait ! "  I  cried,  and  ran  to  the  house. 
Sir  William  had  clapped  his  hands  over 
his  ears  at  the  sound  of  it,  and  it  was  thus 
the  doctor  found  him  when  he  entered, 
several  minutes  after,  with  better  counte- 
nance than  he  had  yet  worn. 

"  I  congratulate  you,  Sir  William,  on 
your  son ;  he  is  well  and  strong."  Sir 
William  never  noticed  this. 

"  How  is  she  ?  "  he  asked. 

"  She  is  conscious,  and  there  is  every 
hope  now  that  she  may  recover." 

I  could  but  think  of  the  man  who  was 
waiting  the  news,  and  yet  the  feeling  of 
sympathy  with  him,  which  had  been  strong 
but  so  recent,  passed  in  a  minute,  and  my 
old,  fierce,  jealous  hate  of  him  returned, 
even  as  I  ran  to  bear  him  the  tidings. 

He  told  me,  when  he  was  able,  that  he 
had  set  sail  from  England  three  months  pre- 
95 


Mills  of  God 

vious,  but,  the  passage  being  stormy  and 
the  ship  blown  out  of  her  course,  he  had 
arrived  at  Richmond  but  the  night  before  ; 
the  river  being  frozen  and  the  ordinary 
traffic  stayed,  he  had  taken  horse  and  rid- 
den alone  up  the  river  road. 

"  It  is  best  for  every  one,"  I  said,  "  that 
you  should  give  forth  some  important  busi« 
ness  to  Madame  Dulany  as  your  errand 
here.  Go  over  to  the  house,  appear  to 
know  naught  in  the  morning  of  what  has 
happened  to-night,  and  I  will  see  that  Dr. 
Prout  is  sent  to  you  as  soon  as  he  can  be 
spared." 

He  noticed  with  no  resentment  the 
change  in  my  manner  toward  him,  and, 
setting  forth,  was  soon  lost  in  the  darkness. 


96 


CHAPTER  VII 

IT  was  late  in  March  before  my  lady 
was  able  to  be  about.  I  had  seen  neither 
her  nor  the  child  until  one  morning  in  the 
latter  part  of  the  month,  when  she  came 
through  the  great  hall  with  the  baby  on 
her  arm.  She  seemed  the  very  incarnation 
of  motherhood.  There  was  a  softness  of 
expression  about  her  which  I  had  never 
seen  before,  as  though  her  pride  and  rest- 
lessness had  died  at  this  new  creature's 
birth. 

I  arose  from  the  writing-table  as  she 
entered,  but  for  the  life  within  me  I  could 
not  have  spoken.  She  walked  toward  me, 
and  the  mite's  head  was  cuddled  up  to  her 
cheek,  while  she  bent  over  it  with  that 
97 


Mills  of  God 

caressing  way  of  mothers.  It  was  after 
we  had  been  seated  some  time  and  I  had, 
with  lameness  and  stammering  and  a  scar- 
let face,  offered  my  congratulations,  that 
Lord  Bedford  was  announced,  for  he  had 
stayed  at  Madame  Dulany's  all  this  time  ; 
the  wound,  which  he  had  received  by  rea- 
son of  an  unlucky  fall  from  his  horse  on 
some  jagged  rocks,  having  but  recently 
healed.  As  my  lady  did  not  dismiss  me, 
I  withdrew  to  the  great  window  at  the 
lower  part  of  the  room  and  waited  her 
orders. 

Lord  Bedford  was  very  pale  as  he  en- 
tered, but  his  face  shone  with  a  kind  of  in- 
spiration, and  he  wore  a  smile  which  was 
both  tender  and  joyous.  My  lady  arose 
with  a  rapture  on  her  fair,  fond  face,  and, 
coming  slowly  forward,  with  her  eyes  fixed 
in  his,  laid  the  child  in  his  arms.  I  saw  a 
tremor  go  through  his  frame  as  he  held 
the  little  thing  near  him,  but  no  word  was 
98 


Mills  of  God 

spoken,  and  all  this  time  they  did  but  look 
at  each  other  with  eyes  that  were  warm 
with  content. 

She  gave  me  some  work  to  do  at  the 
far  desk,  and  she  and  Lord  Bedford  sat  by 
the  fire,  and,  though  I  could  not  hear  the 
words,  I  knew  that  she  was  recounting 
something,  and  the  little  ejaculations  Lord 
Bedford  made  from  time  to  time  were 
those  of  sympathy. 

"  And  what  is  the  boy  to  be  named  ?" 
he  asked  presently;  and  clearly,  although 
her  voice  was  dropped,  my  lady  made 
answer : 

"  If  I  had  my  way,  'twould  be  Henry 
Francis  St.  Martin,  seventh  Lord  of  Bed- 
ford ;  but  that  being  impossible,  I  shall 
call  him  after  my  other  king,  George  Fred- 
erick Augustus,  king  by  the  grace  of 
God." 

"  Sweetheart,"  he  answered,  "  if  we  are 
true  there  will  come  a  time  when  he  may 
99 


Mills  of  God 


bear  both  my  name  and  title,  if  there  is  a 
law  in  Great  Britain  can  be  made  to  fit. 
And  look  you,  beautifulest  woman  of  all 
time,  swear  to  me,  with  your  hand  on  the 
baby's  head,  that  if  ever  there  comes  a  time 
when  it  is  possible,  you  will  marry  me  and 
stand  my  wife  before  men,  as  you  now  are 
before  God!" 

I  saw  my  lady  pale  suddenly,  and  then, 
with  a  superbness  of  gesture  which  made 
her  ever  stand  apart  from  others,  she  laid 
her  hand  on  the  baby's  brow  as  though  it 
were  the  Holy  Book,  and  solemnly  said, 
"  I  swear  ! " 

I  do  but  set  this  down  to  show  the  un- 
usualness  of  this  love,  which  seemed  to 
have  in  it  the  respect  and  dignity  that 
come  from  the  marriage  tie. 

It  was  the  next  morning  after  this  that 

there    came    to    me  a   recognition    of  the 

keenness  of    my   lady's    mind — the    mind 

which  Goethe,  later  in  life,  pronounced  the 

100 


Mills  of  God 

finest  he  had  ever  known  in  woman.  She 
had  been  reading  from  an  old  Shakespeare 
that  she  ever  kept  near  her,  when,  looking 
up  to  Sir  William,  who  was  sitting  by,  gaz- 
ing into  the  fire,  she  said  : 

"  I  am  beginning  to  know,  not  through 
my  conscience  but  through  my  intellect, 
the  wisdom  of  being  good.  Shakespeare 
felt  how  heavily  one  has  to  pay  for  broken 
laws  ;  weakness  and  self-indulgence  are  too 
expensive  to  support.  Look  !  Othello,  the 
jealous  fool — pays  !  Romeo,  passion-drunk 
— pays  !  Hamlet,  wabbling  milksop — pays  ! 
I  can  not  tell  you  how  clearly  I  have  grown 
to  see  that  broken  laws  breed  tragedy.  It 
is  logical.  It  is  just." 

She  sat  perfectly  still  for  a  minute,  and 
then,  throwing  her  hands  wide  apart,  she 
cried  twice,  "  It  will  come — it  will  come  !  " 
and  with  this  she  burst  into  such  a  storm 
of  weeping  that  my  lord  fell  to  com- 
forting her ;  and  though,  at  tea  time,  she 

8  101 


Mills  of  God 

seemed  to  have  cheered  herself  some, 
she  ever  after  held  to  this  doctrine,  and 
many  times,  in  later  life,  I  have  heard 
her  refer  to  this  first  intellectual  compre- 
hension of  it. 


102 


CHAPTER  VIII 

FOR  the  next  four  years  our  lives  ran 
uneventfully,  my  lady  occupied  with  Mas- 
ter George,  and  Sir  William  interested  in 
little  that  did  not  pertain  to  them. 

It  seemed  as  if  the  maternal  passion 
gave  my  lady  the  balance  which  she 
needed ;  and  though  on  the  frequent  visits 
of  Lord  Bedford  to  America  he  was  much 
with  her,  I  was  convinced  then,  as  I  am 
now,  that  there  was  between  them  naught 
that  the  whole  world  might  not  have  seen. 
There  was  one  day  when  the  proof  of  this 
came  to  me  in  words.  They  two  were 
standing,  looking  down  from  a  window  at 
the  little  toddler,  who,  with  his  nurse,  was 
at  play  on  the  green,  when  my  lady  turned 
103 


Mills  of  God 


to  Lord  Bedford,  with  tears  in  her  eyes, 
and  said  : 

"  For  love's  sake  I  have  renounced 
love." 

"  You  are  an  angel,"  he  answered  im- 
passionedly,  and  then,  with  a  grim  little 
smile,  "  but  it  is  hard  on  me." 

For  some  time  after  the  birth  of  Mas- 
ter George  there  were  but  two  events  of 
any  moment  to  chronicle  :  one,  the  pur- 
chase of  the  Fairfax  house,  a  large  estate, 
about  twelve  miles  from  us,  by  Lord  Bed- 
ford, where  he  purposed  to  spend  part  of 
every  year  for  the  hunting  and  fishing ; 
the  other,  the  serious  and  at  the  time 
unaccountable  seizure  of  the  widow  Du- 
lany,  which  threw  her  into  such  a  mor- 
tal illness  that  for  weeks  her  life  was  de- 
spaired of. 

It  was  in  1804  or  1805  that  belated 
newspapers  from  England  brought  us  in- 
telligence of  the  accusation  of  the  Prince 
104 


Mills  of  God 

of  Wales  against  his  wife — charges  which 
were  easily  disproved,  and  in  which  the 
future  King  of  England  showed  to  but  ill 
advantage,  according  to  my  thinking.  We 
were  sitting  discussing  these  affairs  one 
evening,  Sir  William  being  extreme  in 
bitterness  against  the  prince,  when  Madame 
Dulany  fell  into  such  a  haranguing  of  the 
unfortunate  Princess  Caroline,  denouncing 
her  as  as  an  infamous  German  who  had 
never  really  loved  the  prince,  that  the 
frenzy  of  denunciation  caused  her  pres- 
ently to  fall  a-weeping  and  then  into  a 
kind  of  stupor,  which  was  the  beginning 
of  those  seizures  which  finally  ended  her 
days. 

All  these  years  were  a  main  bad  time 
for  Europe.  Napoleon,  the  great  pirate, 
was  dashing  madly  from  country  to  coun- 
try, making  and  unmaking  kings,  chipping 
off  a  piece  of  a  kingdom  here  and  tacking 
it  on  there,  swearing,  bullying,  dominating, 
105 


Mills  of  God 

and  acting  as,  I  believe,  no  other  mortal 
man  has  ever  had  the  power  to  act  since 
the  world  began. 

It  was  about  this  time  that  the  clash  in 
the  fishing  interests  of  England  and  Amer- 
ica began,  which  finally  ended  in  the  em- 
bargo. Sir  William  was  highly  flattered 
one  day  to  receive  a  letter  from  no  less  a 
person  than  the  great  Pitt  himself,  asking 
that,  as  the  one  of  all  his  Majesty's  sub- 
jects most  surely  in  possession  of  the 
knowledge,  he  should  come  to  London 
under  advisement,  offering  every  induce- 
ment that  he  should  follow  the  invitation. 
There  was  no  Englishman  in  the  States 
at  the  time  who  was  better  fitted  to  give 
the  information  which  the  Government  re- 
quired— Sir  William's  fortune  having  be- 
come enormous  through  the  industries 
upon  which  knowledge  was  wanted,  and 
then,  too,  there  was  another  reason  which 
led  him  forward,  for  Sir  William's  soul 
1 06 


Mills  of  God 

was  troubled  at  times  for  the  land  of  his 
nativity. 

It  fell,  therefore,  that,  leaving  affairs  in 
the  hands  of  Mistress  Randolph,  the  fam- 
ily, including  Lady  Elinor,  Sir  William, 
Master  George,  myself,  and  four  maids, 
took  passage  from  Norfolk  by  the  good 
ship  Virgin  Queen,  which  sailed  the  eight- 
eenth of  November,  1805. 

I  had  been  absent  from  my  native  land 
nine  years,  and,  as  I  stood  and  watched  the 
autumn-reddened  shores  of  the  New  World 
fade  from  me,  it  was  with  a  sadness  at  the 
thought  of  the  happy  scenes  I  was  leaving, 
I  knew  not  for  how  long,  and  with  a  feel- 
ing of  apprehension  of  those  into  which  we 
were  about  to  pass. 

The  day  before  we  left,  Mistress  Dulany 
had  called  me  to  her,  and  when  we  were 
quite  alone  had  handed  me  a  packet  which 
she  had  asked,  with  much  earnestness,  that  I 
should  deliver  into  the  hands  of  her  solicit- 
107 


Mills  of  God 

ors,  Messrs.  Hobson  and  Hobson,  in  Great 
Threadneedle  Street.  She  urged  that  this 
should  be  done  immediately  on  our  arrival, 
and  that  I  should  write  direct  to  her  of  the 
packet's  safe  delivery.  It  was  but  a  small 
burden,  containing,  I  should  judge,  some 
few  letters  and  a  frame  as  of  a  miniature. 
I  know  not  by  what  instinct  I  was  guided, 
but,  as  I  stood  talking  to  Mistress  Dulany 
for  a  few  minutes  after,  I  noted  that  a  boy- 
ish miniature  portrait  of  Prince  George, 
which  she  ever  wore,  was  absent  from  her 
throat  for  the  first  time  in  my  knowledge 
since  I  had  known  her. 

Of  London,  the  London  into  which  we 
came  on  the  twenty-second  day  of  January, 
1 806,  it  is  hard  to  write.  The  prince  had  set 
the  pace ;  balls,  junketings,  horse-racings, 
prize-fightings,  with  all  other  form  of  carous- 
ings,  were  going  on  at  Carleton  House, while 
the  poor  old  doddering  King  George,  with 
his  obstinate  intellect  tottering,  slept  with 
1 08 


Mills  of  God 

his  sceptre  between  his  teeth,  to  prevent 
the  regency  passing  into  the  hands  of  his 
worthless  son. 

We  had  taken,  by  the  advice  of  some 
of  the  gentlemen  who  for  their  own  inter- 
ests had  been  instrumental  in  bringing  Sir 
William  over,  a  very  large  house  in  Port- 
man  Square.  My  lady's  thought  being 
ever  of  Master  George,  the  nurseries  were 
fitted  up  first,  and  a  German  attendant  se- 
cured for  him,  it  being  her  plan  that,  like 
herself,  her  son  should  have  all  the  modern 
tongues  as  a  child.  It  remained  ever  a 
wonder  to  me  that  she  could  change  from 
French  to  German,  from  Italian  to  Span- 
ish, and  back  again  to  English,  with  no 
apparent  break  in  her  thought  and  with 
the  ease  of  the  mother  tongue  in  all. 

The  house,  which  was  dark  and  stuffy 

when    we    came,    soon    underwent     such 

changes  at  her  hands  that  none  would  have 

known  it,  and  for  a  description  of  all  these 

109 


Mills  of  God 

changes,  I  think  it  best  to  let  her  speak  for 
herself,  as  she  did  to  her  mother  in  her 
letter,  dated  and  written  as  follows  : 

"  PORTMAN  SQUARE,  LONDON, 
"April  first,  1806. 

"  OH,  MOTHER  MINE  :  Come  up  to 
Lunnon  Town — and  '  bind  your  hair  and 
lace  your  bodice  blue,'  and  learn  the  styles 
and  have  your  youth  again.  You  want  to 
know  just  what  I  am  doing,  do  you  not, 
with  all  the  little  details  so  dear  to  the 
heart  of  woman  ? 

"  I  sent  you  in  my  last  letter  the  draw- 
ing of  our  house ;  it  would  have  been 
impossible  to  send  anything  which  would 
have  adequately  expressed  the  extreme 
dinginess  and  ill  taste  of  the  place,  but  we 
have  changed  all  that. 

"The  Gentleman  to  whom  I  am  Mar- 
ried, and,  I  should  like  to  state,  who  is  now 
the  First  Gentleman  in  Europe,  having 
no 


Mills  of  God 

told  me  to  do  exactly  as  I  pleased,  and  get 
exactly  what  I  wanted,  and  your  own  great 
generosity  to  your  lawless  child  being  re- 
membered, I  did  launch  myself  forth  into 
such  expense  that  I  have  the  distinction, 
after  but  two  months'  residence  here,  of 
being  known  to  the  tradespeople  as  the 
best  customer  in  town. 

"  Mother  dear !  there  is  no  taste  in 
England  except  what  is  imported  from 
France.  With  difficulty  I  succeeded  in  get- 
ting some  French  people  to  work  for  me, 
and  I  have  had  the  three  drawing-rooms 
downstairs  hung  in  pale  canary-coloured 
silk,  panelled  in  roses — the  ceilings  in 
Cupids  and  clouds,  after  our  old  rooms  in 
Spain,  which  I  loved  as  a  child,  and  as  a 
woman,  too,  I  may  add. 

"  The  hangings  are  in  brocades  of  yel- 
low and  roses,  to  match  the  walls,  and  the 
furniture,  of  the  same  colour,  was  of  Louis 
the  Fifteenth's  time,  being  some  that  I  was 
in 


Mills  of  God 

fortunate  enough  to  procure  at  a  sale  of 
the  effects  of  the  retiring  French  ambas- 
sador. 

"  Then  I  added  some  conservatories, 
not  such  as  at  my  beloved  Deepdeen,  but 
a  wonder  for  London. 

"  In  the  dining-room  (an  enormous 
room  for  a  town  house)  I  have  had  the 
walls  completely  covered  with  tapestries, 
the  Flemish — Heaven  protect  us  from  the 
latter-day  revelations  in  that  art ! — which, 
with  the  oak  furniture  I  have  had  brought 
over  from  Bruges,  makes  the  room  remind 
me  of  the  library  in  your  dear  Virginia 
home. 

"  Sir  William's  business  here,  as  well  as 
his  family  connections,  have  brought  us 
directly  to  the  acquaintance  of  many  dis- 
tinguished people.  The  old  duke  visited 
us  almost  immediately.  He  was  most 
complimentary  to  your  daughter,  and  it 
was  through  him  I  made  sure  we  had  the 
112 


Mills  of  God 


invitations  to  the  ball  at  Carleton  House, 
where  we  met  not  only  the  prince,  but 
many  of  the  prince's  special  friends,  includ- 
ing Mr.  Sheridan,  Mr.  Lawrence,  and  an 
exuberant  little  Irishman  named  Moore, 
who  writes  love  songs. 

"  I  wore  a  magnificent  dress,  'an  I  say 
it  who  shouldn't,'  for  I  was  anxious  that 
Sir  William  and  you,  mother  mine,  should 
feel  proud  of  your  daughter.  It  was  of 
white  satin,  embroidered  in  silver,  with  an 
enormous  court  train  lined  with  green,  and 
I  wore  my  emeralds  and  diamonds. 

"  The  old  duke  came  for  us,  and  in- 
spected me  through  his  eyeglass  before  we 
started.  He  is  very  tall,  very  thin ;  his 
face  is  scant,  and  he  hops  like  a  snow-bird 
when  he  walks  ;  but  if  he  were  to  go  down 
the  Strand  with  his  person  costumed  in 
a  flag,  one  could  never  forget  he  is  a  gen- 
tleman. 

"  The  duke  presented  us  to  the  prince 


Mills  of  God 

as  his  American  kinsfolk,  and  it  pleased 
his  Royal  Highness  to  be  more  than  gra- 
cious to  us.  As  the  future  King  of  Eng- 
land, he  interests  one,  of  course,  but  per- 
sonally he  bored  me  to  death. 

"  While  other  monarchs  are  fighting  for 
their  thrones  in  these  tremendous  times,  he 
stays  at  home  and  gives  balls,  forsooth  ! 
He  is  tall  and  handsome,  but  I  felt  that 
a  good,  honest  emotion  would  remove  the 
top  of  his  head  ;  and  I  can  not  imagine 
how  any  woman  could  ever  have  loved  him 
or  allowed  him  to  deceive  her. 

"There  is  something  about  a  Great, 
Honest  Passion,  even  if  unlawful,  that  one 
forgives,  but  these  everlasting  Light  Loves 
of  our  future  sovereign  seem  to  me  little 
short  of  bestial. 

"  Perhaps  the  men  whom  I  have  known 

so  well  have  spoiled  me.     There  is  no  finer 

gentleman   anywhere   than   my   own   dear 

husband   and    Robin   Killduff — and    here, 

114 


Mills  of  God 

Madame  Mother,  I  rise  to  make  complaint 
against  your  favourite. 

"  Do  you  know  that  our  gentleman 
Robin  is  very  well  born,  and  that  his  whole 
name  is  Robin  Killduff  MacLaren,  and  that 
he  comes  of  a  noble  Scottish  family,  but, 
his  father  being  a  younger  son  and  very 
poor,  he  made  shift  to  mend  his  fortunes 
in  the  way  we  know.  And  to  this  decep- 
tion Sir  William  has  been  privy  ;  but  the 
second  complaint  of  him  is  worse,  for  my 
baby,  my  manling,  loves  this  Robin  better 
than  anything  on  earth,  I  think.  He  tod- 
dles after  him,  shrieking  with  delight  if  he 
can  get  near  him  ;  he  hoards  up  impossible 
presents  to  bestow  on  him,  and  tears — huge 
tears — stream  over  his  face  when  he  is 
finally  pried  away  from  the  society  of  Mr. 
MacLaren. 

"About  the  Little  One  —  he  is  so 
beautiful,  such  a  magnificent  thing,  that 
passers-by  stop  to  stare  after  him,  and 


Mills  of  God 

withal  the  very  most  lovable  child  in  the 
world. 

"  But  the  oddest  part  of  him  is  that 
the  infant  has  conceived  his  Royal  High- 
ness, the  prince,  to  be  the  drollest  thing 
in  existence.  While  we  were  in  the  gar- 
dens the  other  day,  when  the  prince  did  us 
the  honour  to  stop  and  talk,  my  degenerate 
son  watched  him  for  a  while,  and  then  I 
saw  his  little  eyebrows  begin  to  quiver,  and 
that  droll  look  to  come  into  his  eyes,  and 
frankly  regarding  his  future  king  as  if  he 
were  a  marionette,  he  began  to  chuckle 
aloud.  The  prince  was  so  much  attracted 
by  my  boy  that  he  invited,  pleaded  with 
him  almost,  to  come  and  walk,  but  the 
baby  refused  any  further  intimacy  than 
this  highly  cynical  contemplation,  each 
new  movement  of  his  Royal  Highness 
being  greeted  with  shrieks  of  mirth. 

"  Sir  William  is  going  to  write  you, 
and  your  deceptive  friend,  Robin  Killduff 
116 


Mills  of  God 

MacLaren ;  so,  with  much  love  to  you 
from  me  and  the  real  King  of  the  Whole 
World,  George,  I  am 

"  Your  affectionate  daughter, 

"ELINOR." 

Lady  Elinor  did  but  gloss  over  the  at- 
tention she  received  at  the  ball  at  Carleton 
House ;  the  prince,  I  was  told,  singling 
her  out  in  a  way  that  set  the  whole  com- 
pany a-talking,  ending  the  evening  by  walk- 
ing through  a  minuet  with  her,  during 
which  performance  Sir  William  said  she 
bore  herself  as  a  gentlewoman  who  was 
conferring  an  honour  rather  than  receiv- 
ing one. 

During  all  the  time  of  our  settlement 
in  London  there  had  been  no  mention  of 
Lord  Bedford  in  the  talk,  nor  had  he 
visited  us.  It  came  later  to  my  knowledge 
that  he  was  then  in  Scotland,  coming  back 
the  very  day  of  the  festivity — having,  as 
9  117 


Mills  of  God 

yet,  no  sure  knowledge  of  Lady  Elinor's 
presence  in  England.  The  manner  of  their 
meeting  came  to  me  through  Sir  William, 
Lord  Harry  having  told  him  of  it  later. 

He  had  been  standing  with  Mr.  Sheri- 
dan and  Mr.  Brummell,  when  that  well- 
bred  dandy  said  to  him  : 

"  Gad,  Harry,  have  you  seen  the  new 
beauty  ?  There's  been  nothing  like  her — in 
your  time."  Whereupon  he  conducted  my 
Lord  Bedford  to  the  dancing-room,  which 
he  himself  had  just  quitted,  so  that  Lord 
Bedford's  first  sight  of  Lady  Elinor  was 
when  she  was  dancing  with  his  Royal 
Highness ;  and,  although  I  saw  it  not,  I 
can  well  imagine  the  haughtiness  and  grace 
with  which  she  bore  herself,  men's  admira- 
tion coming  to  her  so  easily  that  she  ever 
thought  but  lightly  of  it. 

At  the  breaking  up  of  the  ball,  there 
was  naught  would  do  Sir  William  but  that 
Henry  Bedford  should  come  home  with 
118 


Mills  of  God 

them.  "  I  am  going  to  stop  at  Dysart's 
a  while  about  the  embassy  affair ;  but  go 
you  home  with  Lady  Elinor,  and  make  our 
house  as  your  own  while  you  are  up  in 
town." 

Thus  forced  to  it,  the  two  rode  home 
together,  she  talking  gaily  and  in  high 
spirits  to  Lord  Harry,  who  sat  quiet  and 
listened,  with  eyes  warm  with  happiness. 
The  house  was  darkened  when  they  en- 
tered, and  as  they  were  left  in  the  shaded 
drawing-room,  Henry  Bedford  came  over 
toward  her  and  took  her  in  his  arms. 

41 1  want  you,"  he  said — "  I  want  you." 

"  Come  with  me,"  she  .answered,  and 
taking  his  hand,  she  led  him  up  the  stairs. 
Following,  but  not  knowing  her  intention, 
he  went  with  her,  and  together  they  entered 
the  nursery.  Master  George  had  uncovered 
himself  so  that  his  little  arms  were  bare. 

"  Look  at  him,"  she  said  proudly ;  "  was 
there  ever  such  a  baby — such  a  man-child  ? 
119 


Mills  of  God 


For  his  sake  I  must  be  as  good  a  woman 
as  I  can.  Tell  me  that  you  see  ;  that  you 
understand." 

"  1 want  my  wife"  he  answered. 

There  was  no  time  for  response  be- 
fore Sir  William's  voice  was  heard  below. 
"  Where  are  you  ?"  he  called  gaily,  and,  as 
he  entered  the  nursery,  he  gazed  in  a  great 
tenderness  at  Lady  Elinor,  saying :  "  I 
knew  you  were  here,  little  mother.  You 
would  stop  armies  to  show  them  your  baby. 
Was  there  ever  such  a  woman  before  since 
the  world  began  ? "  and  going  to  her,  he 
put  his  arm  around  her,  Lord  Bedford 
looking  on. 


1 20 


CHAPTER   IX 

AFTER  the  gaiety,  which  was  my  lady's 
formal  introduction  into  the  great  world, 
our  house  became  one  of  the  centres  of 
fashionable  life,  and  rest  there  was  none. 
The  prince  himself  would  come  in  fre- 
quently of  an  evening,  wearing  a  long  mil- 
itary cloak  through  the  streets,  so  that 
none  might  know  him,  to  have  my  lady 
sing  for  him  and  tell  him  American  stories, 
which  he  always  thought  expressly  enter- 
taining. 

I  could  see  that  this  made  Sir  William 
both  anxious  and  fretful,  and  after  one 
such  time  he  said,  in  my  hearing :  "  Dear, 
the  prince  admires  you  so  much  that  you 
must  be  careful.  The  gossips  must  never 
121 


Mills  of  God 

think  they  have  cause  to  wag  their 
tongues." 

My  lady  looked  at  Sir  William  for  a 
moment ;  in  her  eyes  was  that  same  look 
of  drollery  I  have  often  seen  in  Master 
George's  face,  and  she  laughed  before  say- 
ing, with  a  touch  of  melodrama  and  as 
a  joke  :  "  My  lord  and  sovereign  !  When 
your  wife's  reason  is  tottering  on  its  throne 
she  may  be  moved  by  the  admiration  of  a 
tailor's  model,  but,  being  still  able  to  judge 
between  a  man  and  a  bundle  of  clothes,  she 
begs  leave  to  change  the  subject." 

It  was  one  afternoon  of  the  time  when 
these  visits  were  still  a  matter  of  some  con- 
cern to  us,  my  lady  was  walking  in  the 
gardens  with  Sir  Thomas  Lawrence  (he 
was  painting  the  picture,  of  which  I  have 
before  spoken,  at  the  time),  when  an  old 
crone  dropped  a  courtesy  in  front  of  Mas- 
ter George,  who  was  with  them,  exclaiming, 
"  It  is  he  sure,  who  is  the  living  moral  of 
122 


Mills  of  God 

the  prince  as  a  baby,"  and  she  looked  with 
suspicion  and  a  kind  of  cringing  at  Lady 
Elinor.  "  One  could  never  have  told  them 
apart,"  she  went  on.  "  Do  you  want  your 
fortune  told,  pretty  lady  ?  " 

Lady  Elinor  refused  with  some  haugh- 
tiness, and,  as  we  made  to  pass  her  by,  the 
gipsy  said,  "  Royal  blood — the  blood  of 
kings!" 

It  was  but  a  guess,  the  eldritch  old  hag 
having  naught  of  the  supernatural  about 
her,  save  the  amount  of  impudence  she 
possessed  ;  but  as  they  went  their  way,  Sir 
Thomas  said  to  my  lady,  "  It  is  curious 
that  it  should  be  so,  but  many  people  have 
spoken  to  me  of  this  resemblance."  I 
know,  from  my  lady's  journal,  that  it  was 
about  this  time  that  she  began  to  have  her 
final  suspicions  of  the  truth. 

There  was  another  who  made  bold  to 
talk  to  my  lady  about  the  prince,  and  this 
was  Lord  Bedford,  of  whom  I  would  now 
123 


Mills  of  God 

be  writing.  He  had  reached,  by  this  time, 
his  thirty-second  year,  the  time  in  life  when 
men  like  to  see  their  wives  at  the  heads  of 
their  tables  and  their  bairns  growing  up 
about  them.  He  was  still  very  handsome 
and  attractive  to  all,  especially  to  women, 
retaining  to  the  full  that  charm  of  manner 
which,  as  I  have  said  before,  I  can  recall  in 
none  other. 

In  the  visits  which  he  made  to  America 
it  was  difficult  to  come  at  truth  regarding 
him,  seeing  him,  as  I  always  did,  broke 
from  his  own  natural  setting  and  in  dis- 
jointed surroundings.  Here,  however,  he 
showed  different,  as  a  man  of  great  impor- 
tance, and  many  were  the  loud  complaints 
that  he  did  not  choose  to  marry  and  give 
Brentworth  House  and  Broadstairs  a  mis- 
tress, and  himself  an  heir. 

There  was  another  thing  I  noted  which 
my  lady,  too,  saw  with  much  concern  and 

self-reproach,  and  this  was  the  man's  con- 
124 


Mills  of  God 

stant  loneliness  and  lack  of  home  ties, 
which  threw  him  continually  in  the  way  of 
temptation.  His  companions  were  gen- 
erally roistering  blades  who,  like  himself, 
had  no  wives  to  weep  over  them  if  they 
reeled  home  in  the  dawn  of  the  morning, 
far  gone  in  their  cups ;  or  if  he  lost  a 
thousand  guineas  at  play,  there  was  none 
to  speak  of  the  son  and  heir  from  whose 
baby  fingers  the  money  was  being  stolen. 
So  it  was  that,  not  only  by  my  own  obser- 
vation, but  by  hearsay,  I  became  aware 
that  at  times  my  lord  drank  and  played 
deeper  than  was  wise,  if  there  be  any  depth 
in  either  which  can  be  considered  wisdom. 
It  was  the  old  duke,  Sir  William's  kins- 
man, who  told  me  that  Henry  Bedford 
had  come  to  the  title  by  a  lucky  chance 
for  him,  which  had  removed  by  small-pox 
three  direct  claimants,  and  that,  until  he 
was  come  of  age,  he  had  been  in  the  army, 
poor  and  disregarded. 
125 


Mills  of  God 

" '  Tis  a  pity,"  the  old  man  continued, 
"that  he  does  not  marry.  Harry  is  a  good 
fellow,  who,  I  fear,  is  going  to  the  devil 
for  lack  of  something  to  care  for." 

I  know  from  my  lady's  book  that  all 
this  comment  was  not  unknown  to  her, 
and  that  she  broke  out  in  fierce  self-re- 
proaches at  times,  as  being  the  cause  of  his 
wild  ways.  There  was  another  thing,  too, 
that  weighed  on  her  mind,  and  this  was  his 
frequent  outbursts  of  jealousy,  in  which  he 
would  all  but  insult  her  about  the  admi- 
ration she  received  from  other  men,  and 
then  fall  on  his  knees  and  beg  her  pardon, 
saying  that  she  was  indeed  an  angel,  and 
he  a  brute  fallen  too  low  for  her  to  no- 
tice. Still,  although  it  angered  him,  I  could 
not  but  think  he  was  proud  of  the  notice 
she  attracted  wherever  she  went,  but  it 
ever  wrought  in  his  mind  that  none  knew 
she  loved  him,  and  that  he  could  not  wear 
this  jewel  before  the  world  as  his  own. 


Mills  of  God 

There  was  yet  another  thing  that 
crossed  between  them — whether  by  hints  or 
not  I  have  let  it  out  I  can  not  tell — but  my 
lady  was  all  for  the  books,  and  had  so  fine 
a  drift  toward  being  a  scholar  that,  had  she 
been  well  grounded  in  the  classics,  there  is 
little  she  could  not  have  done.  This  de- 
ficiency, however,  made  her  slight  Homer, 
Plato,  and  ^Eschylus  as  belated  and  un- 
immediate,  and  place  heavier  stress  on 
Shakespeare  and  the  man  named  Goethe, 
whom  to  the  end,  I  think,  she  always  over- 
rated. This  natural  bent,  and  the  great 
desire  to  educate  Master  George  herself, 
gave  to  my  lady  an  impetus  toward  real 
mind  work  which  wrought  a  change  in 
her  very  nature,  and  in  some  of  her  talks 
with  Henry  Bedford  (who  knew  a  book 
contained  reading  matter,  and  that  only  by 
hearsay,  but  who  never  opened  one,  unless 
it  were  his  betting-book)  I  have  seen  her 
turn  away  dispassionately  and  in  a  superior 
127 


Mills  of  God 

manner  as  a  mother  does  from  a  fractious 
child. 

These  matters  all  conspired  to  fret 
Lord  Bedford,  though  till  the  end  there 
was  naught  in  my  lady's  conduct  toward 
him  to  bespeak  that  she  loved  him  the 
less ;  she  had  given  her  heart  to  him  as  a 
girl ;  she  loved  him  as  a  woman,  and  she 
died  with  his  name  on  her  lips. 

There  was  one  incident,  which  I  gath- 
ered from  the  journal,  that  has  remained 
ever  in  my  mind.  Lord  Bedford's  jeal- 
ousy had  broken  out  anew,  by  reason  of 
my  lady's  portrait  being  copied  for  the 
Prince  of  Wales,  and  he  had  so  upbraided 
and  fumed  that  my  lady  was  all  but  out- 
done with  him. 

"  You  say  you  love  me ! "  he  broke 
forth.  "  It  is  ever  the  saying  and  never  the 
doing !  How  can  I  tell  ?  What  proof 
have  I  of  this  old  love  ?  " 

Whereupon  my  lady  arose  with  state- 
128 


Mills  of  God 


liness  and,  ringing  the  bell,  said  to  Greg- 
ory, "Tell  Fraulein  Rosa  to  bring  Master 
George  to  Lord  Bedford — he  requires  to 
see  him,"  and,  turning  to  leave  the  room, 
she  continued,  with  great  gentleness,  "  I 
think  there  is  some  proof  here,  my  lord." 
There  was  another  phase  of  his  life 
which  fretted  me  not  a  little  as  well  as 
the  ones  already  mentioned,  and  this  was 
his  relations  with  women,  which  were  dis- 
cussed openly  at  the  clubs.  There  was 
one  in  particular  of  which  I  heard  fre- 
quent comment  concerning  an  actor  wom- 
an named  Fontleroy,  who  was,  I  believe, 
the  merriest  and  most  unmoral  baggage 
that  ever  came  out  of  Killarney,  and  the 
tide  of  town  gossip  overflowed  with  tales 
of  her  sauciness  and  little  mutinies.  Ru- 
mour had  it  that  the  name  she  was  born  to 
was  O' Flaherty,  and  that  the  father  of  her 
was  "  a-going-about-body  in  a  cart,"  the 
truth  of  which  I  can  neither  affirm  nor 
129 


Mills  of  God 

deny  ;  but  to  see  her  in  the  park  with  her 
frills  and  furbelows  in  the  fine  equipage 
for  which,  by  report,  she  was  indebted  to 
Lord  Bedford,  was  one  of  the  sights  of  the 
town.  She  was  a  brown  beauty,  with  a 
glowing,  flower-like  face,  full-breasted,  with 
slender  waist  and  great  length  of  limb,  and 
the  audacity  of  the  devil  himself. 

It  was  reported  that  she  had  been 
drawn  to  the  attention  of  Lord  Bedford  by 
a  story  repeated  to  him  at  one  of  the  clubs 
of  her  treatment  of  the  Prince  of  Wales, 
who  had  thrown  the  royal  handkerchief  in 
her  direction  and  been  flouted  in  public  for 
his  pains. 

"The  Prince  of  Wales!"  she  had 
laughed.  "  What  sort  of  a  conquest  is  he 
for  a  woman  of  my  spirit  ?  '  Tis  any  pretty 
woman  may  have  him  for  the  asking  !  If 
it  had  been  my  Lord  Bedford,  now  " — and 
she  laughed  again — "  if  it  had  been  my 
Lord  Bedford,  who  shall  say? " 
130 


Mills  of  God 

He  had  never  noted  her  before  the 
hearing  of  this  story  ;  but  soon  after,  his 
vanity  no  doubt  being  touched,  he  went  to 
view  her  as  Lady  Teazle,  a  part  which  I 
can  testify  she  played  with  great  jaunti- 
ness  and  fire.  At  the  close  of  this  per- 
formance he  was  presented  to  her,  and 
afterward,  with  nothing  much  worse  than 
a  drifting  on  his  part,  but  with  great  inten- 
tion on  hers,  the  intimacy  between  them 
began,  which  extended  over  many  years. 
Even  at  this  time,  and  despite  the  stories 
of  the  great  sums  of  money  he  had,  by  rea- 
son of  his  infatuation,  lavished  upon  her, 
I  think  my  judgment  of  the  affair  was  a 
just  one  to  him.  I  believe  he  never  loved 
the  woman,  but  had  for  her  one  of  those 
passions  which  I  have  known  men,  who 
love  their  wives  dearly,  to  contract  for  an- 
other woman.  It  is  not  to  my  way  of 
thinking,  though,  ever  the  fine  part  to  play ; 
for  there  is  this  about  promiscuous  love- 


Mills  of  God 

making  :  it  forever  creates  situations  which 
are  wrong  either  to  break  or  to  continue,  so 
that  a  man  must  needs  be  constantly  going 
from  one  side  of  the  road  to  the  other  ;  nor 
is  the  sincerity  of  conduct,  which  is  the 
part  of  a  gentleman,  ever  possible  to  him. 

The  effect  of  this  woman's  influence 
upon  Lord  Bedford  fell  beneath  my  very 
eyes,  and  I  could  mark  with  great  distinct- 
ness the  downward  going  of  him  in  these 
first  years  of  it. 

It  was  a  curious  piece  of  human  doings 
altogether ;  for  here,  by  reason  of  great 
beauty,  great  charm,  and  celebrity,  were 
Lady  Elinor  and  Mistress  Fontleroy  set 
side  by  side  in  the  town  talk.  The  gentle- 
men who  gathered  with  their  ladies  at  our 
house  in  Portman  Square  gathered  with- 
out their  ladies  at  hers,  the  house  in  Bed- 
ford Place,  so  that  talk  was  carried  back 
and  forth,  no  doubt,  as  the  play  ran  high 
and  the  drinking  deep. 
132 


CHAPTER  X 

THE  events  which  fell  on  the  evening 
of  the  tenth  of  May  I  remember  with  a 
distinctness  which  I  have  not  for  the  hap- 
penings of  a  few  days  ago.  In  the  first 
place,  it  was  my  birthday,  and  I  gave  my- 
self an  outing  in  the  evening,  dining  at  the 
Strollers  Club,  intending  to  go  on  later 
to  see  the  play.  The  eating-room  was 
crowded  when  I  entered,  and  as  I  stood 
looking  around  for  a  table,  I  was  greeted 
by  a  Colonel  O' Parrel,  whom  I  knew  for 
a  red-headed  Irishman,  well  along  in  the 
forties,  a  gay  wit,  of  unquestioned  bravery 
and  a  conceit  of  himself  which  was  very 
high.  He  had  been  Senior  Wrangler  in  his 
time  at  my  own  college,  and  though  he 
10  133 


Mills  of  God 

was  a  boaster  of  his  parts,  he  seemed  able 
to  make  his  boasting  good,  and  was  alto- 
gether a  good  fellow,  given  a  bit  to  gam- 
ing, and,  like  so  many  of  the  Irish,  one  who 
would  never  spoil  a  story  by  hampering 
himself  \ty  the  facts. 

It  was  during  the  course  of  our  dinner 
that  in  some  way  the  prince's  name  was 
brought  to  the  fore,  and  the  sudden  burst 
of  anger  into  which  he  flew  startled  me 
not  a  little. 

"  The  prince  ! "  he  cried  ;  "  it's  little  I 
care  for  the  prince — a  damned  cowardly 
stealer  of  other  folks'  goods.  He  took 
from  me  a  friend  I  am  wanting  every  day. 
When  I  think  of  Jack  Dulany,  I  could  see 
the  prince  hanged  and  stand  by  with  a 
smile  on  my  face.  Do  you  want  a  tale," 
he  went  on,  "  a  tale  of  the  long  ago  ?  " 

The  colonel  lighted  his  cigar,  and,  blow- 
ing out  a  cloud  of  smoke,  set  about  his 
story  with  a  darkened  brow. 
134 


Mills  of  God 

"  Once  upon  a  time,  a  quarter  of  a  cen- 
tury ago,  in  the  north  of  Ireland,  at  Dun- 
dalk,  near  the  Irish  Sea,  there  lived  a  poor 
gentleman  with  one  daughter,  the  fame  of 
whose  beauty  had  gone  forth  even  to  for- 
eign lands. 

"  How  is  that  for  a  beginning  ? "  he 
interrupted  himself,  laughingly. 

"  It  reads  like  a  book,"  I  answered. 

"  Her  name  was  Betty  Mahony,  and 
many  were  the  rich  gentlemen,  and  even 
noblemen,  who  would  have  forgiven  her 
want  of  dowry  for  the  sake  of  her  beau- 
tiful eyes.  Well,  when  Jack  Dulany  was 
but  a  subaltern  I  had  command  in  the  same 
regiment,  the  two  of  us  being  stationed 
near  Dundalk,  close  to  the  tumble-down 
mansion  of  Mistress  Betty  Mahony,  with 
whom  Master  Jack  did  fall  so  much  in 
love  that  he  was  the  laughing-stock  of  the 
whole  mess  for  his  foolish  behaviour.  Man, 
it  was  piteous !  Before  this  he  had  been  a 


Mills  of  God 

wild  fellow  of  fine  metal,  true  to  his  friends, 
fighting  his  enemies,  of  a  strong  stomach 
for  his  drink  and  his  victuals,  and  with  a 
laugh  for  the  whole  world.  You  should 
have  seen  the  change  which  came  over  him. 
First  his  appetite  went  from  him,  he  lost 
or  won  at  cards  indifferently,  and  once 
Tremaine,  of  the  Twelfth,  almost  gave  him 
the  lie  direct,  and  Jack  never  put  hand  to 
his  sword.  It  seemed  as  though  he  were 
clean  gone  from  his  wits.  I  don't  know 
how  you  feel  about  it,  Mr.  Killduff,  but  I 
am  feared  for  my  life  with  women.  The 
end  of  his  affairs  with  Mistress  Mahony 
was  what  no  one  expected,  for  the  two  of 
them  went  off  one  fine  day  and  were  mar- 
ried, and  for  about  a  year  all  went  well. 

"The  beauty  of  her  soon  became  the 
talk  of  the  army.  Men  who  had  never 
even  seen  her  toasted  her  beauty,  and  the 
tales  of  her  loveliness  came  to  the  ears  of 
his  precious  Royal  Highness.  It  so  hap- 
136 


Mills  of  God 

pened  that  one  day,  being  in  England  with 
her  husband's  regiment,  she  came  to  a  re- 
view, and  directly  under  the  eyes  of  the 
prince,  who,  after,  did  little  but  talk  of  her 
beauty.  He  was  about  twenty  at  the  time, 
Mistress  Dulany  being  a  year  or  two  older. 
Several  of  Dulany 's  friends  (myself  among 
the  number)  advised  him  to  send  his  wife 
away  quietly  ;  but  he  was  as  proud  of  her 
beauty  as  she  was  herself,  which  is  putting 
it  strongly,  I  think  ;  and  so,  at  an  officers' 
ball,  Mistress  Dulany  was  presented  to  the 
prince,  who  danced  with  her,  and  showed 
such  infatuation  that  at  last  Dulany  be- 
came alarmed,  and  sent  his  wife  away — 
somewhere  in  Surrey,  to  an  old  aunt  of  his. 
Within  two  days  of  her  arrival,  two  gen- 
tlemen unknown  to  the  country,  officers 
in  the  Guards,  appeared  at  the  neighbouring 
inn,  and,  for  the  next  three  months  or  so, 
would  come  and  go,  apparently  with  no 
special  business,  but  just  as  it  listed  them. 
137 


Mills  of  God 

"  There  was  a  fine  large  forest  near  the 
place,  and  afterward  it  was  known  that 
Mistress  Dulany  had  been  seen  walking 
there  several  times  with  one  of  these  gen- 
tlemen, whose  manner  toward  her  was  such 
as  to  lead  the  villagers  who  saw  them  to- 
gether to  believe  him  to  be  her  husband. 

"  Dulany  was  ordered  to  the  north,  and 
it  was  a  long  time  before  he  was  able  to 
see  his  wife  again.  When  he  returned  he 
took  her  to  France,  he  being  under  orders 
for  the  far  south  ;  she  to  remain  in  Paris 
with  some  friends  until  his  return. 

"  It  was  there  a  child  was  born  to  her. 
I  heard  the  news  before  Dulany,  who 
laughed  at  it  as  a  good  joke,  saying  that 
surely  he  should  be  the  one  to  know  such 
a  thing  first,  but  he  asked  for  leave,  which 
he  obtained,  to  go  to  his  wife.  He  left  the 
regiment  on  the  23d  of  September,  and 
I  never  saw  him  again.  He  went  to 
France,  had  an  interview  with  his  wife, 
138 


Mills  of  God 

whom  he  found  living  in  great  splendour 
near  Neuilly,  and  shot  himself  the  next 
morning  in  his  dressing-room.  The  tale 
was  hushed  up,  and  I  never  knew  what  be- 
came of  the  woman  and  the  child.  There 
has  been  some  rumour  that  she  is  in  one 
of  the  Americas,  but  of  that  I  really  know 
nothing. 

"And  now,"  he  concluded,  "you  will 
be  after  knowing  why  I  hate  the  prince, 
which  leads  me  to  inquire  what  are  your 
plans  for  the  rest  of  the  night  ?  " 

It  was  now  long  past  the  time  for  the 
play,  and  I  told  him  my  evening  was  dis- 
engaged. 

"  Then  come  with  me,"  he  cried  enthu- 
siastically ;  "there's  a  friend  of  mine  I 
should  like  you  to  meet.  Tom  Moore  is 
his  name,  and  he  writes  as  pretty  a  song — 
and  sings  it,  too — as  any  man  from  the 
Green  Isle  ever  did.  He  is  to  be  at  the 
house  of  another  friend  of  mine  (sure 
139 


Mills  of  God 

we're  all  Irish  together),  who  will  make 
you  fine  and  welcome." 

About  ten,  therefore,  the  two  of  us  set 
forth,  walking,  as  the  night  was  fine  and 
starry,  the  whole  way  from  the  club  to  the 
house  where  the  festivity  was  to  be. 

Near  Russell  Square  we  turned  into  a 
side  street,  in  the  middle  of  which  was 
a  fine  old  mansion  brilliantly  lighted,  the 
doors  standing  open,  and  the  sound  of 
stringed  music  floating  out  of  the  win- 
dows. Like  so  many  of  the  English  town 
houses  of  the  time,  there  were  but  two  or 
three  steps  to  ascend  to  the  lower  floor, 
where  we  were  met  by  a  flunkey  of  ap- 
proved obsequiousness,  who  waited  upon  us. 

The  dining-room  on  the  right  was  lit 
up,  and  standing  by  the  sideboard,  as  we 
looked  in,  was  a  little  old  lady  in  wondrous 
gay  costume,  who  greeted  us  in  a  high  key, 
professing  herself  charmed  at  the  meeting. 
She  had  a  small  face,  with  the  parenthesis- 
140 


Mills  of  God 

shaped  marks  around  the  mouth,  like  so 
many  of  her  countrywomen,  a  scant  nose, 
uptilted  and  red,  little  dancing  gray  eyes, 
and  a  terrible  stream  of  steady  conversa- 
tion. 

"  Sit  ye  down  here,"  she  said,  and  the 
brogue  of  her  was  strongly  marked.  "  Sit 
ye  down  here  while  I  finish  makin'  the 
punch.  Sure  it's  a  fine  hand  I  am  at  the 
punch  brewin' ! " 

"  There'll  be  none  who'll  contradict  ye 
at  that,"  said  the  colonel,  "  only,  to  be  tell- 
ing the  whole  truth,  I'm  the  finer." 

"  Ye  were  ever  a  consayted  man, 
Michael  O' Parrel,"  she  answered,  "and 
ye're  father  before  ye." 

"  Faith,  I  make  my  word  good,"  an- 
swered the  colonel ;  "  bring  me  a  bowl,  and 
we'll  leave  the  company  above  to  decide 
the  question." 

A  bowl  and  some  ingredients  being 
brought,  the  two  of  them  fell  to  work,  I 
141 


Mills  of  God 

being  called  to  the  colonel's  aid  to  help 
with  the  lemons,  the  two  of  them  mean- 
while exchanging  conversation,  or  rather 
insults,  in  high  good  humour. 

"  It's  not  the  brewin'  of  the  punch 
that  I'm  questioning  it's  the  taste  of  you, 
Colonel  O' Parrel ;  you  should  leave  others 
to  name  your  virtues.  You've  no  sense  of 
conduct  and  niver  had." 

"  Bein'  raised  with  you,  Mistress  Raf- 
ferty,  there  should  be  some  excusing 
of  me." 

"  Michael,"  the  little  woman  said,  turn- 
ing down  her  skirts,  which,  for  their 
greater  protection,  had  been  pinned  up 
around  her  waist,  "ye're  red-headed  as  was 
Judas,  and  ye  and  the  truth  have  never 
had  even  a  bowin'  acquaintance,  and  the 
sound  of  your  own  voice  is  honey  to  your 
ears,  but  you're  unsafe  for  a  woman  of 
virtue  to  have  dealin's  with,  an'  I  must 
think  of  my  reputation,  so  good-even'  to 
142 


Mills  of  God 

ye,"  and,  raising  her  punch-bowl,  and  the 
colonel  taking  his,  the  two  of  them,  with 
me  in  the  wake,  ascended  the  stairs. 

As  I  followed  them  I  noted  anew  the 
elegance  of  the  appointments,  noted  as 
well  a  certain  carelessness,  as  though  the 
affairs  of  the  house  were  not  well  looked 
after.  On  a  satin  couch  in  the  upper  hall 
were  two  or  three  punch-glasses,  some  of 
the  liquid  which  they  had  contained  having 
been  spilled  on  the  covering.  The  rugs 
were  awry,  and  there  was  a  general  im- 
pression produced  on  me  in  many  ways 
that  the  little  niceties  of  life  were  here 
much  overlooked.  From  a  small  room  on 
the  left  I  heard  laughter,  with  women's 
voices  mixed  through  it,  and  the  sound  of 
money  and  the  dice-throwing  ;  but  it  was 
only  on  my  entering  the  drawing-room 
that  I  knew  for  a  surety  where  I  stood. 
By  some  throw  of  Fate  it  was  the  house 
kept  by  Henry  Bedford,  and  the  party 


Mills  of  God 

given  there  was  by  its  present  mistress. 
The  woman  herself  was  standing  near  the 
centre  of  the  room,  talking  to  two  or  three 
men.  She  wore  a  wonderful  gown  of 
yellow  of  the  kind  the  French  Josephine 
so  much  affected.  Her  arms  and  much 
of  her  breast  were  bare,  and  there  was  an 
allurement  about  her  which  was  surely  not 
all  good.  As  I  was  brought  forward  to  be 
presented,  I  saw  for  the  first  time  that 
Lord  Bedford  was  lounging  in  a  window, 
smoking  and  staring  forth  into  the  night. 

If  it  were  bitter  for  him  to  have  me 
there,  it  was  a  bitterness  fair  matched  by 
that  in  my  own  heart.  There  is  no  place 
in  London  I  would  have  more  steadfastly 
avoided,  if  left  to  my  own  guidance,  and  I 
could  have  embraced  Colonel  O'Farrel  for 
his  presentation  of  me. 

"'Twas  kidnapping  I  did  for  your 
party,  Kathleen,"  he  said  to  Mistress  Font- 
leroy — "clean  kidnapping,  for  Mr.  Killduff 
144 


Mills  of  God 

had  as  little  idea  of  the  place  he  was  being 
brought  as  you  that  he  was  coming.  Is 
Tom  Moore  here  ?  I  have  promised  Mr. 
Killduff  that  he  shall  hear  him  sing." 

"  Yes,"  she  answered,  and  the  voice  of 
her  was  deep  and  of  a  singing  quality, 
"  he  is  here  ;  and  as  for  hearing  him  sing, 
Mr.  Killduff,  it's  like  you'll  get  too  much 
of  it,  for  he  is  equally  difficult  to  start  and 
to  stop." 

Lord  Bedford's  conduct  toward  me  was 
of  a  piece  with  the  rest  of  him.  He  gave 
me  a  nod  between  his  puffs  of  smoke 
which  was  little  more  than  a  dropping  of 
the  eyelids,  and  took  no  more  notice  of  me, 
for  that  time  at  least. 

It  was  plain  to  me  from  the  first  that 
our  hostess  was  in  no  extraordinary  good- 
humour,  and  from  some  of  the  glances  I 
saw  her  throw  from  time  to  time  in  Lord 
Bedford's  direction,  I  could  have  sworn  he 
was  the  offender.  She  did  not  really  listen 


Mills  of  God 

to  the  singing  of  Anacreon  Moore,  though 
some  of  the  verses  were  in  her  own  praise, 
but  rather  appeared  to  endure  it  to  go  on ; 
and  I  think  more  than  myself  were  of  the 
opinion  that  there  was  a  bad  time  ahead 
for  my  Lord  Bedford. 

It  was  a  merry  place,  however,  and 
many  a  gay  gentleman  I  found  stopped  in 
on  his  way  home  late  at  night  to  sing  a 
song,  toss  off  a  jest,  or  win  or  lose  a  guinea 
at  the  play.  There  was  little  matter  made 
here  of  a  bit  of  misconduct,  and  if  one  so 
forgot  himself  as  to  take  too  much  liquor, 
he  was  but  carried  to  some  other  apart- 
ment and  left  to  recover  his  wits  at  his  lei- 
sure, while  the  company  toasted  him  for 
a  good  fellow,  and  sang  a  little  louder  to 
drown  his  noise. 

In  this  place  the  admiration  which  the 
prince  gave  my  lady  had  not  passed  un- 
noticed, and  the  worst  construction  pos- 
sible put  upon  it,  you  may  be  sure.  I 
146 


Mills  of  God 

found  later  the  gossip  concerning  Master 
George's  resemblance  to  his  Royal  High- 
ness was  rife  about  the  town.  O'Farrel, 
Mr.  Mohun,  and  one  whose  name  I  can 
not  set  down  now,  had  but  seated  ourselves 
for  a  game  of  tcarte  when  who  should 
burst  into  the  room,  a  little  the  worse 
already  for  his  drinks,  but  Mr.  Hugh  St. 
John,  and  a  man  with  fewer  gentlemanly 
instincts  I  have  yet  to  see.  He  was  fresh 
from  the  theatre,  and  after  holding  forth  at 
length  on  the  beauty  of  Miss  O'Neil,  which 
I  could  see  was  a  far  from  pleasing  subject 
to  Mistress  Fontleroy,  he  said  : 

"Ah!  but  'tis  Lady  Elinor  Graf  ton 
you  should  have  seen.  The  play  almost 
stopped  when  she  came  to  her  box,  and 
immediately  after  the  prince  followed  her, 
and  'twas  plain  to  be  seen  she  does  with 
him  as  she  will." 

"  Did  they  " — said  Mistress  Rafferty — 
"  did  they  have  the  baby  with  them  ? 
147 


Mills  of  God 

'Twould  have  been  quite  a  family  gather- 
ing then." 

\  glanced  upward  from  the  cards  for  a 
minute  at  Lord  Bedford.  He  stirred  in 
the  window-seat,  and,  although  his  eye  did 
not  meet  mine,  he  knew  I  was  looking 
at  him. 

"Ah  !  well,  and  what  if  'tis  all  true  ?" 
the  Mistress  Fontleroy  asked ;  "  'tis  sure 
no  one's  business  but  their  own.  As  I  have 
said,  we  women — we  all  have  our  price. 
Mine,  you  see,  was" — and  she  cast  a  glance 
of  passion,  and  there  was  something  of 
sadness  in  it,  too — "was  my  Lord  Bed- 
ford  " 

"  And  my  Lady  Grafton's  is  the  Prince 
of  Wales,"  the  cur  St.  John  interrupted 
with  a  laugh. 

I  put  my  cards  on  the  table  and  turned 

to  Lord  Bedford  and  waited.     It  was  sure 

his   cue,    his   privilege,  to    speak    first.     I 

looked  full  in  his  eyes,  and  saw  what  I  felt 

148 


Mills  of  God 


he  would  rather  have  died  than  I  should 
see — that  his  position  in  this  house  and  with 
this  woman  made  it  almost  impossible  that 
he  should  be  the  one  to  resent  an  insult  to 
the  love  of  his  life.  The  morsel  was  sweet 
eating  to  me,  and  I  felt  that  without  any 
speech  my  eyes  showed  the  scorn  I  had 
of  him. 

Rising  from  the  table,  I  turned  to  Mr. 
St.  John,  who  faced  me  as  I  turned. 

"  If  Lady  Grafton's  name  could  be 
blackened,  'twould  be  by  you  taking  it  on 
your  infamous  tongue.  I  am  not  needing 
speech  to  clear  her  honour,  but  only  to  tell 
you,  Mr.  St.  John,  that  you  are  a  liar  in 
your  throat ! "  and  I  struck  him  full  in  the 
mouth  with  the  back  of  my  hand.  He  was 
for  swords  at  the  moment,  but  Colonel 
O'Farrel,  and  some  other  gentlemen,  spoke 
for  some  decency  of  behaviour  in  the  mat- 
ter, and  a  meeting  was  arranged  for  the  fol- 
lowing night  at  Hyde  Park,  Colonel  O'Far- 
u  149 


Mills  of  God 

rel,  I  think,  more  than  a  little  pleased  at 
the  turn  of  the  evening's  affairs.  Before  I 
left,  a  thing  happened  so  curious  that  I  set 
it  down  as  a  bit  of  oddity.  St.  John  had 
taken  himself  off  after  the  affair,  and  I  was 
for  withdrawing  also,  when  Mistress  Font- 
leroy  came  down  the  stairs,  at  the  bottom 
of  which  I  stood. 

"  You're  a  man,  Mr.  Killduff,"  she  said, 
"and  I  am  grateful  to  have  seen  this  even- 
ing's work.  Ah  !  but  you  were  fine  as  you 
struck  him  in  the  mouth.  '  I  need  no 
speech  for  her  honour,  but  only  to  tell  you 
that  you  are  a  liar  in  your  throat,'  "  and  she 
said  my  words  over  with  a  dramatic  move. 
"  The  heart  of  me  moves  toward  you  for  it 
all,"  and  then,  holding  her  scarlet  lips 
toward  mine,  "  Kiss  me  ! "  she  said. 

"  I  am  no  stealer  of  another  man's 
rights,"  I  answered  her,  laughing,  though 
her  impassionedness  over  what  she  consid- 
ered a  brave  act  was  a  fine  thing  to  see. 
150 


Mills  of  God 

"It  is  the  hand  of  you,  Mistress  Font- 
leroy,  that  I  will  be  kissing  with  a  fair  con- 
science and  the  knowledge,  I  hope,  that 
you  will  pardon  the  scene  I  was  forced  to 
make  in  your  very  presence." 

"  I  would  not  have  missed  it  for  all 
there  is  of  me,"  she  answered  me,  "  and  I 
hope  that  to-morrow  night  you're  as  well 
as  now,"  and  she  held  my  hand  in  both  of 
hers  for  a  minute  ere  we  parted. 

She  was  a  fine  spirit,  this  girl,  whatever 
her  bad  faults  may  have  been,  and,  much  as 
I  had  hated  Lord  Bedford,  I  thought,  with 
a  sour  humour  on  my  way  home,  that  there 
must  be  something  in  us  much  alike,  the 
kind  of  woman  we  each  admired  most 
being  similar  in  the  extreme. 

Colonel  O' Parrel  accompanied  me  when 
I  left  the  house,  and  was  full  of  excitement 
over  the  affair. 

"  Ye're  Scotch,"  he  says,  "  and  it's  sure 
I  am  that  you  boggle  with  the  sword. 


Mills  of  God 


Just  come  to  my  rooms  and  have  a  try  with 
me  till  I  see." 

41  Indeed,"  I  protested,  "  I  do  not  bog- 
gle either  with  the  long  or  the  short  sword. 
I  am  unafraid." 

"Which  may  be  an  ignorant  surety,"  he 
answered. 

44  My  father  was  the  finest  sword  at  Ox- 
ford in  his  time,  and  later  in  all  Scotland," 
I  said  proudly.  Here  was  a  subject  about 
which  I  ever  felt  a  little  vainglorious.  "Do 
you  think  he  would  bring  his  son  up  in 
ignorance  ?  " 

It  was  with  much  difficulty  that  I  was 
able  to  withstand  his  invitation,  but  upon 
this  point  I  was  firm,  and  he  walked  with 
me  to  the  steps  of  our  house  in  Portman 
Square,  giving  me  a  hearty  "  Good-night," 
and  the  promise  of  an  early  visit  on  the 
morrow. 

It  was  very  late  as  I  entered,  and,  with 
the  hope  of  not  disturbing  the  household,  I 
152 


Mills  of  God 

crept  softly  up  to  the  first  landing.  There 
was  a  brilliant  light  burning  in  the  smaller 
reception-room,  and  standing  with  a  bright 
spot  of  colour  in  either  cheek,  and  a  look  of 
timidity  I  had  never  seen  before,  was  Lady 
Elinor.  Beside  her  was  the  Prince  of 
Wales,  and  even  as  I  looked  he  leaned  for- 
ward and  kissed  her  on  the  brow,  and,  as  he 
passed  me,  thinking  no  doubt  that  I  was 
one  of  the  servants,  there  were  tears  in  his 
eyes,  and,  I  can  swear  on  my  honour, 
knowing  all,  that  that  inadequate  performer 
of  a  king's  part  had,  in  his  wrecked  life, 
one  emotion  of  which  he  need  not  be 
ashamed. 

I  kept  myself  well  in  the  shadow  as  he 
passed,  and  turned  to  my  room  by  the 
smaller  stairs,  for  I  knew,  as  by  a  woman's 
instinct,  what  had  happened ;  that  my  lady 
and  I  had  had,  in  different  ways,  the  same 
story  told  to  us  both  upon  the  same 
night. 

'53 


Mills  of  God 

I  do  not  wish  to  be  making  this  affair 
with  Mr.  St.  John  of  much  moment,  for 
the  fight  was  in  itself  of  but  little  conse- 
quence. We  met — he  with  his  friend,  Mr. 
Endicott,  as  his  second,  I  with  Colonel 
O'Farrel  as  mine — at  the  turn  in  the  park 
where  the  old  fountain  used  to  stand.  It 
was  not  a  match  from  the  very  start,  for  the 
man  had  no  feel  for  his  sword.  Every  one 
who  loves  the  weapon  for  itself  will  know 
what  I  mean  by  that,  and,  to  use  my  friend 
O'Farrel's  speech,  he  boggled  with  it.  A 
man  who  has  any  passion  for  his  blade 
knows  it  as  a  part  of  himself,  can  feel  with 
its  point  as  he  could  with  his  bare  finger 
tip  ;  and  to  see  the  light  trickling  down  its 
side  warms  the  cockles  of  his  heart.  But 
this  man's  head  and  hand  were  heavy,  by 
reason  of  the  drink,  and  it  would  have  been 
little  short  of  murder  for  me  to  have  done 
with  him  what  I  could.  I  but  bided  my 
time,  until  he  made  one  mortal  loose  thrust, 


Mills  of  God 

and,  striking  hard  with  the  upward  stroke, 
I  sent  his  sword  spinning  into  the  grass. 

The  whole  affair  was  for  him  pitiable  in 
the  extreme,  and  he  apologized,  in  the  end, 
in  a  way  that  must  forever  have  made  even 
the  memory  of  me  unendurable  to  him. 
This  trouble  I  set  down  because  of  the  in- 
crease in  the  hate  I  felt  for  Henry  Bedford, 
for  from  that  night  till  the  close  of  our  in- 
tercourse I  never  knew  his  eye  voluntarily 
to  meet  mine. 


155 


CHAPTER  XI 

DURING  all  our  life  in  London  there 
was  surely  no  social  attention  or  honour 
which  Lady  Elinor  did  not  receive — her 
doings  being  chronicled  at  length  in  the 
fashion  pamphlets  of  the  day,  her  house 
the  rendezvous  of  the  most  famous  men 
of  the  period.  So  the  time  passed  until 
eighteen  hundred  and  eight,  in  Septem- 
ber of  the  year,  my  lady  having  but  newly 
returned  from  Bath,  when  we  made  our 
visit  to  Erfurt,  which  brought  into  her 
life  a  vivid  and  widening  influence  that 
helped  her  till  its  close. 

The  Emperor  Napoleon  had  arranged 
his  famous  meeting  with  the  Czar  Alexan- 
der at  this  place,  to  determine  the  disposi- 
156 


Mills  of  God 

tion  to  be  made  of  Moldavia  and  Wallachia, 
and  hither,  in  the  character  of  visiting 
Americans,  Lady  Elinor  and  Sir  William 
repaired.  We  were  to  stay,  while  in  this 
quaint  town,  at  the  house  of  the  Countess 
of  Stiimberg,  one  of  Sir  William's  German 
connections. 

I  knew  at  some  later  time,  though  not 
then,  that  this  errand  was  one  for  the  Gov- 
ernment ;  but  the  feeling  toward  England 
being  but  lukewarm  in  Germany,  Sir  Wil- 
liam essayed  the  character  of  an  American 
planter,  to  be  the  better  received. 

The  countess,  a  red-cheeked,  black-eyed, 
little  body  of  about  sixty,  with  a  small, 
round  head  set  on  a  small,  round  body,  like 
an  apple  on  a  cheese,  spoke  the  vilest 
English  I  have  ever  heard  with  the  greatest 
complacency,  but  her  house  was  a  delight- 
ful place,  and  she  was  well  received  wher- 
ever she  went.  Into  this  society  Lady 
Elinor  entered  with  an  enthusiasm  such 


Mills  of  God 

as  she  had  never  shown  in  London.  In- 
deed, there  was  more  cause  for  enthusiasm, 
for  all  the  great  people  of  Europe  seemed 
to  be  gathered  in  this  narrow-streeted  Ger- 
man village.  The  emperor,  with  that  the- 
atrical instinct  which  so  much  belittled  his 
genius,  to  my  way  of  thinking,  had  brought 
from  Paris  the  greatest  actors  of  the  day. 
Miles.  Mars  and  Talma,  in  the  very  height 
of  their  genius,  gave  every  evening  one  of 
the  fine  French  dramas,  no  expense  being 
spared  in  the  matter  of  their  production. 

It  was  at  a  ball,  given  after  one  of  these 
performances,  that  my  lady  made  the  re- 
joinder to  his  Majesty  the  emperor  which 
has  since  been  so  oft  repeated  of  her.  She 
had  shone  with  much  splendour  through 
the  evening,  and  toward  its  close  the  em- 
peror's eye  alighted  on  her,  and  he  asked 
to  have  her  presented.  Upon  being  told 
that  she  was  an  American,  he  exclaimed 
in  his  brusque  way :  "  They  tell  me,  Ma- 
158 


Mills  of  God 

dame,  that  you  are  an  American,  but  I 
make  sure  an  older  civilization  claims 
you.  You  might  be  a  daughter  of  sov- 
ereigns." 

To  which  my  lady  replied,  "  Sire,  in 
my  country  the  people  are  sovereign,  and 
I  am  a  daughter  of  the  people." 

The  emperor  looked  at  her  from  under 
his  heavy  brows  for  a  minute,  as  though 
lost  in  thought,  and  then  he  smiled.  It 
was  fortunate  for  this  great  but  underbred 
man  that  he  forbore  to  show  Lady  Elinor 
those  marks  of  distinction,  which  he  be- 
stowed upon  most  women,  for  had  he  pulled 
her  hair  or  tweaked  her  nose,  as  I  have 
heard  tell  was  sometimes  his  way,  I  believe 
her  capable  of  boxing  his  ears  before  half 
the  royalty  of  Europe.  This,  of  course, 
is  but  a  mere  conjecture,  and,  as  my  lady's 
ideal  of  behaviour  grew  ever  the  higher  as 
the  years  went  by,  it  may  do  her  an  injus- 
tice, but  she  was  never  one  to  brook  famil- 
159 


Mills  of  God 

iarities,  and  I  make  sure  could  never  have 
supported  them  from  any  man. 

It  was  this  same  evening  that  standing 
in  the  group  around  the  emperor  was  a 
man  by  whom  the  veriest  oaf  would  have 
been  impressed — the  most  magnificent  pres- 
ence, the  most  potent  personality,  I  have 
ever  met.  There  was  a  consciousness  of 
greatness  came  from  him  such  as  one  might 
expect  from  a  dweller  on  the  planet  Mars. 
This  man  was  Johann  Wolfgang  von 
Goethe,  and  his  attitude  of  love  and  ad- 
miration to  Elinor  Grafton  continued  from 
that  night  until  his  death. 

During  the  whole  time  of  her  stay  at 
Erfurt  he  would  ever  single  her  out  for  his 
attentions,  coming  early  in  the  afternoons 
to  the  Stiimbergs,  and  sitting  for  tea  in 
the  little  high-walled  garden,  among  the 
flowers,  till  the  sun  went  down.  He  was 
at  work  on  his  famous  Elective  Affinities 
at  this  time,  and  perhaps  his  discourse  was 
1 60 


Mills  of  God 


the  more  pleasing  to  her  from  the  pres- 
ent bent  of  his  great  mind,  for  she  would 
sit  and  brood  on  his  words  after  he  had 
gone,  for  hours  at  a  time.  I  knew  that 
the  circumstances  of  her  life  had  been 
revealed  to  him,  whether  by  his  own  infer- 
ences or  from  her  confession,  I  was  then 
unaware. 

I  mention  this  to  show  the  way  the  ac- 
quaintance began  which  so  much  changed 
Lady  Elinor.  It  was  from  Goethe  she 
learned  that  in  this  world  women  need 
expect  to  suffer  from  broken  law  more 
than  men  do,  and  some  of  the  reasons  for 
it.  I  make  sure  his  Margaret  was  even 
then  coming  to  her  sad  life,  and  it  was  of 
her  he  thought  as  he  talked. 

In  Lady  Elinor's  journal  from  this  time 
forth  there  is  ever  the  talk  of  letting  the 
individual  wither,  and  becoming  more  and 
more  one  with  the  World  Spirit,  which 
seemed  to  me  but  another  form  of  selfless- 
161 


Mills  of  God 


ness,  which  she  could  just  as  well  have 
found  in  the  Bible  ;  but  whether  she  got  her 
Christianity  by  way  of  the  Holy  Scriptures 
or  out  of  the  Wilhelm  Meister  it  makes 
little  differ,  for  God  uses  one  means  for 
one,  and  another  for  another,  but  all  things 
are  His  instruments  in  the  end. 

On  our  return  to  America  there  was 
scarce  a  mail  for  years  after  but  carried 
some  word  for,  or  brought  some  message 
from,  the  great  German,  whose  birthdays 
my  lady  always  most  reverently  kept,  and 
whom  she  mourned  at  death  as  for  a  father. 
She  ever  cherished  the  last  words  he  said 
to  her :  "  You  must  prepare  yourself  for 
change.  Your  only  help  lies  within  your- 
self. You  must  learn  to  find  in  loss  a  gain 
to  match,  and  then  the  high  gods  smite 
in  vain." 

I  am  setting  down  all  this  talk  of  our 
life  abroad  as  an  excusing  for  Lady  Elinor, 
for  the  great,  nay,  the  greatest,  of  the  earth 
162 


Mills  of  God 

bowed  before  her  loveliness  and  charm  ;  but 
were  all  as  nothing  beside  the  man  her 
heart  had  acknowledged  as  its  master. 

It  was  immediately  after  our  return 
from  the  Continent  that  the  business  of 
the  company  was  brought  about  which  so 
engrossed  me  for  several  years  that  inter- 
course with  the  family  for  any  length  of 
time  was  almost  impossible.  The  fishing 
and  fur  interests  had  so  multiplied  that  Sir 
William  decided  to  place  these  affairs  in 
the  hands  of  a  company  of  which  I  was 
made  manager. 

It  was  but  a  roving  life  I  lived  for  sev- 
eral years  after  this,  being  back  and  forth 
between  Newfoundland,  Virginia,  and  Eng- 
land several  times  each  year ;  and  though, 
in  the  second  year  of  my  new  work,  the 
Grafton  family  returned  from  London  to 
Deepdeen,  my  knowledge  of  their  affairs 
was  but  scattering. 

Of  Henry  Bedford  I  knew  more,  and 
163 


Mills  of  God 

what  information  I  received  from  the  clubs 
was  but  little  to  his  credit.  The  Fontleroy 
had  been  supplanted  by  a  successor,  and  the 
stories  of  the  man's  dissipation  were  com- 
mon scandal. 

In  the  few  times  which  I  met  with  him 
in  London  during  this  period  it  was  easy 
for  me  to  note  the  rapid  down-going  of 
him.  There  was  a  recklessness  in  his 
speech,  which  soon  follows  the  deep  drink- 
ing, as  though  the  bonds  of  moral  obliga- 
tion were  loosened  in  him,  and  his  better 
self  was  slipping  out  of  his  reach  entire. 
He  tried  ever  to  conceal  these  things  from 
Lady  Elinor.  The  happenings  of  his  life 
he  could,  the  effects  of  them  he  could  not, 
but  there  was  never  in  all  her  life  one 
word  of  blame  for  him  for  aught  he  did, 
and,  when  you  know  the  end,  you  will  won- 
der at  this  with  me. 

It  was,  I  believe,  as  nearly  as  my  mem- 
ory will  serve  me,  four  years  after  the  fam- 
164 


Mills  of  God 

ily's  return  to  Virginia  that  I  took  up  my 
permanent  abode  with  them  again.  Lady 
Elinor  had  grown  from  a  girl  to  a  woman, 
and  Master  George  from  a  toddling  child 
into  a  fine  youth  of  ten  or  eleven.  The 
affection  between  these  two  was  something 
beautiful  to  see  ;  the  lad,  who  was  both 
handsome  and  affectionate,  loving  and  ad- 
miring his  mother  beyond  everything  else 
on  earth,  and  she  being  to  him  as  an  elder 
comrade  or  confidante,  but  always  with 
something  of  the  teacher  in  her  talk.  It 
seems  as  if  the  great  mental  letting  in  of 
light,  which  she  had  experienced  in  Ger- 
many, was  all  to  be  used  for  Master  George, 
and  it  was  of  him  and  his  education  she 
would  ever  be  thinking.  I  make  sure  that, 
as  the  years  went  by,  she  feared  more  and 
more  the  influence  of  his  heredity,  and  her 
every  effort  was  bent  toward  making  the 
boy's  nature  finely  self-controlled.  That 
she  was  fearful  of  the  lawlessness,  which 
12  165 


Mills  of  God 

she  felt  might  be  his  curse,  one  was  made 
conscious  in  every  serious  conversation  she 
had  over  the  child.  It  was  of  his  great 
jealousy  that  she  had  the  most  fear,  for  that 
which  is  but  usual  in  a  child  toward  a 
parent  became  in  Master  George  a  kind  of 
ecstasy,  his  nature  running  so  wild  that  at 
times  he  would  dash  at  Sir  William,  when 
he  had  showed  some  tenderness  toward  her, 
and  kick  at  him  or  try  to  bite  his  hand. 

There  was,  too,  by  reason  of  his  circum- 
stances, the  greatest  trouble  to  carry  any 
sort  of  self-restraint  forward  with  anything 
like  success.  He  lived  in  a  boy's  paradise. 
He  had  his  own  beagles  and  hawks,  and 
his  horses  and  negroes,  among  whom  he 
lorded  it  and  commanded  and  punished  as 
he  thought  best.  "  He  rode  like  a  young 
monkey,  and  often  would  go  miles  to  see 
a  rough-and-tumble  fight,  where  the  con- 
testants would  bite  each  other's  ears  off,  re- 
move each  other's  eyes,  or  some  such  bru- 
166 


Mills  of  God 

tality."*  Twas  the  way  of  old  Virginia  at 
the  time,  and  Master  George,  at  the  age  of 
twelve,  drank  his  glass  of  beer,  rode  after 
the  hounds  in  his  little  pink  coat,  and 
backed  his  favourite  bird  to  a  good  stiff 
sum  at  the  cocking  main. 

Then  there  was  the  matter  of  Fairfax 
House,  which  was  virtually  his  to  com- 
mand, Lord  Harry  ever  urging  the  use  of 
the  house  upon  him  as  though  it  were  al- 
ready his  own  ;  and  so  it  fell  that  my  lady, 
strive  as  she  would,  could  not  but  see  her 
efforts  thrown  back  upon  herself,  and  the 
boy  little  bettered  by  them  all,  and  this 
largely  because  of  the  very  circumstances 
by  which  she  had  surrounded  him. 

During  the  period  of  which  I  now 
write,  Lord  Harry's  visits  became  less  fre- 
quent, and  when  he  did  come  among  us 
the  loose  living  and  unconnectedness  of  his 
life  were  ever  the  more  apparent.  There 

*  From  the  Life  of  John  Randolph — Adams. 


Mills  of  God 


were  lines  of  dissipation  on  his  handsome 
brown  face,  and  rumour  was  rife  in  London 
of  another  actor  woman  there,  to  whom  my 
Lord  Bedford  had  been  more  than  kind. 
Nor  was  she  the  only  one  with  whom  his 
name  was  connected.  To  the  close,  how- 
ever, I  believe  my  lady  remained  unaware 
of  all  this,  but  it  a  bit  the  more  prepared 
me  for  the  end. 


1 68 


CHAPTER   XII 

IT  was  at  the  end  of  his  thirteenth  or 
the  beginning  of  his  fourteenth  year  that 
the  matter  of  the  education  of  Master 
George  was  handed  over  to  me.  Tutor 
after  tutor  had  been  routed  by  him  in  one 
way  or  another,  and,  as  a  finality,  he  de- 
cided for  himself  that  he  would  have  me  or 
none  to  teach  him.  This  decision  my  lady 
made  known  to  me  in  the  following  man- 
ner— we  were  lingering  over  the  breakfast 
one  morning  when  she  spoke,  with  the 
little  holding  together  of  the  eyebrows 
which  ever  showed  she  was  in  a  merry 
mood  : 

"  You  have  very  little  really  to  occupy 
your  time,  you  know,  Mr.  Killduff." 
169 


Mills  of  God 

I  looked  at  her  and  pulled  down  the 
corners  of  my  mouth  a  trifle,  for  my  days 
had  been  so  overcrowded  with  business  of 
late  that  I  felt  I  would  soon  have  to  be  sit- 
ting up  nights  to  get  through  that  which 
was  heaped  upon  me. 

"There  are  some  few  things  about 
Deepdeen  of  which  you  do  not  have  the 
worry  as  yet.  I  still  order  my  own  gowns, 
and  George  buys  his  dogs  for  himself." 

We  both  broke  into  a  laugh  over  this, 
for  Sir  William's  health  had  been  failing 
rapidly  of  late,  and  I  had  been  given  all  the 
business  affairs  in  the  North  to  attend  to,  as 
well  as  Madame  Dulany's  fortune  to  man- 
age. It  seemed  as  if  the  entire  respon- 
sibility of  the  two  households  were  put 
upon  me  as  well,  and  this  was  no  light  bur- 
den, for  not  one  of  them,  with  the  excep- 
tion of  Sir  William,  knew  or  cared  aught  of 
the  value  of  money.  It  was  always  "  Go 
to  Robin,"  "Ask  Mr.  Killduff,"  "Robin 
170 


Mills  of  God 

will  know  about  it,"  and  such  like  ;  and 
Master  George,  as  he  grew  older,  would 
throw  money,  as  the  Persians  say,  after  the 
birds.  There  seemed  no  way  to  stop  him 
either ;  if  Sir  William  and  his  mother  re- 
fused him,  there  was  a  doting  grandmother 
across  the  hill,  or  a  rich  gentleman,  by 
name  Bedford,  up  at  Fairfax  House,  who 
would  grant  any  request,  reasonable  or 
otherwise.  I  said  no  word,  however,  but 
waited  for  my  lady  to  explain. 

11  We  were  thinking,"  she  continued, 
"  Sir  William  and  I,  that  you  might  fill  in 
your  leisure  time  by  teaching  George." 

"  Take  any  shape  but  that,"  I  laughed, 
"and  my  firm  nerve  will  never  tremble! 
Think  of  the  poor  men  who  have,  with 
difficulty,  escaped  with  their  lives  ! " 

"  I  doubt,  if  you  refuse,  that  he  will  but 

grow  up  in  ignorance.     Please  try,  Robin, 

won't  you  ?     You  can  get  a  clerk  or  some 

one  to  help  in  the  other  business,  perhaps 

171 


Mills  of  God 

two."     She  would  just  as  readily  have  sug- 
gested six. 

It  so  fell  that  Master  George's  educa- 
tion came  into  my  hands,  and  within  the 
first  few  days  the  boy  amazed  me  with  his 
capacities,  and  I  bethought  me  of  the  old 
wives'  stories — that  children  of  such  beget- 
ting as  his  were  ever  the  brightest.  I  have 
seen  him  fling  himself  into  a  chair  with  a 
lesson,  and,  before  he  would  get  well  set- 
tled, hand  it  over  to  me  learned,  and  recite 
it  with  accuracy  and  nice  adjustments.  It 
appeared  as  though  he  knew  some  pro- 
cess to  transfer  the  printed  page  to  his 
brain  ;  he  told  me  once  that  in  some  of 
his  finer  moods  he  could  read  a  page  of 
Caesar  and,  closing  the  book,  recite  the 
first  word  of  every  line  on  the  page  from 
the  picture  on  his  brain.  It  was  not  of  his 
memory,  however,  but  of  his  reason  as 
well,  that  my  greatest  wonder  in  him  lay, 
for  it  worked  with  a  correctness  of  logic 
172 


Mills  of  God 

and  passionlessness  that  was  inhuman  in 
one  sort  ;  and  he  would  state  his  observa- 
tions of  the  problems  of  life  in  a  cool  and 
impartial  way,  caring  little  whether  his 
views  agreed  with  the  laws  of  church  or 
state.  As  he  came  into  his  manhood, 
which  he  did  with  less  modesty  and  more 
carrying  of  things  before  him  than  any  lad 
I  ever  knew,  there  broke  loose  in  him 
another  fault  besides  his  jealousy  of  his 
mother,  and  this  was  his  love  of  women. 
It  was  a  thing  surely  to  be  expected,  and 
by  the  time  he  was  seventeen  there  was  no 
girl,  white  or  yellow  or  brown,  who  was 
safe  from  him.  He  had  a  trick  of  drag- 
ging me  into  these  affairs,  for,  after  he  dis- 
covered my  love  for  his  mother,  he  knew 
his  power  over  me  and  used  it  mercilessly. 
There  was  one  day  about  this  time  that, 
the  daily  lessons  being  over,  he  was  sitting 
in  the  open  window  smoking,  when  he 
turned  abruptly  and  said  : 
173 


Mills  of  God 

"  I  think  I'll  go  out  and  find  something 
to  make  love  to,"  and  a  little  later  I  saw 
him  mount  his  horse  and  ride  off  with  a 
salute  to  his  mother,  a  ringing  laugh  and  a 
merry  devil  in  his  eye.  I  thought  to  my- 
self, as  I  looked  on,  that  in  his  person  was 
the  rod  for  my  most  dear  lady's  pun- 
ishment. 

In  January  of  his  eighteenth  year  I 
took  him  abroad  on  his  travels,  and  a  trip 
with  the  Jew  who  wanders  would  have 
been  rest  compared  to  it.  We  went  first 
to  London,  where  Master  George  made 
love  to  Lady  Beatrice  Deauceace,  and  was 
seen  by  her  own  brother  kissing  her  in  the 
garden.  The  affair  came  almost  to  swords 
before  I  was  able  to  drag  him  away  to 
Bath,  where  he  had  been  but  a  fortnight 
present  when  he  had  the  laundress's  daugh- 
ter in  love  with  him  to  such  a  degree  that 
she  fell  into  an  ailing,  which  her  mother 
feared  was  like  to  prove  mortal.  From 
174 


Mills  of  God 

this  place  we  went  to  Paris,  and  here,  I 
might  say  in  a  general  way,  he  made  love 
to  everybody  with  great  catholicity  of  taste 
and  an  entire  disregard  of  any  kind  of  con- 
sequences. 

He  had  come  in  one  afternoon  and  was 
lying  on  a  divan  in  front  of  the  fire,  re- 
garding me  curiously  as  I  sat  reading. 

"  You  don't  approve  of  me,  do  you, 
Robin  ?  "  he  broke  forth  presently. 

"  Who  could  ?  "  I  answered,  looking  at 
him  and  smiling,  for  there  was  much  that 
was  lovable  about  him,  in  spite  of  his  vices, 
which  had  at  least  the  merit  of  being  even 
discouragingly  frank  and  open. 

"  I  do,"  he  answered,  and  my  heart 
thumped  against  the  frame  of  my  body,  as 
I  saw  his  eyebrows  draw  together  in  the 
manner  of  one  who  was  very  dear  to  me. 
"I  do.  You  see  I  am  forced  to  it,  after  a 
fashion,  since  no  one  else  does.  Perhaps, 
after  all,"  he  went  on  with  the  jesting 
175 


Mills  of  God 

tone,  "it  is  I  who  am  right  and  you  who 
are  wrong.  You  may  not  be  educated  up 
to  me,  Robin  Killduff." 

His  manner  was  so  like  his  mother's, 
his  Irish  eyes  with  the  lids  held  level  over 
them,  and  the  long  black  lashes  were  so 
like  hers,  that  the  pain  of  my  life  struck 
me  hard,  and  I  winced  and  set  my  teeth, 
but  I  made  no  answer.  He  did  not  notice 
my  silence,  being  taken  up  entirely  with  his 
own  affairs. 

"  I  have  been  thinking  myself  over 
lately,  dispassionately,  and  with  as  little 
prejudice  as  is  possible  under  the  circum- 
stances," he  went  on,  "  and  find  that  I  am 
uncorroborated — I  can  find  no  other  word 
for  it — in  my  own  family.  You  know  there 
was  never  a  better,  a  more  beautiful,  or,  I 
believe,  a  more  brilliant  woman  than  my 
mother.  I  may  not  be  an  impartial  judge, 
but  I  hold  that  opinion,  as  I  think  you  do 
yourself,  and  yet,  with  that  single  excep- 
176 


Mills  of  God 


tion,  I  find  that  I  have  little  or  no  respect 
for  any  of  the 'rest  of  the  sex.  I  am  told 
I  should  have  respect  for  them.  Why 
should  I?" 

"  It  is  a  thing,"  I  answered,  "  which 
most  gentlemen  see  without  explana- 
tion." 

"  Intended  to  be  cutting — and  was,"  he 
answered  meditatively,  "  but  still  not  en- 
lightening to  the  uninformed.  Truly, 
Robin,"  he  went  on,  sitting  upright  on  the 
divan  and  blowing  a  cloud  of  smoke 
through  his  nose,  "  I  believe  so  few  things 
which  most  people  believe,  am  so  unim- 
pressed by  general  opinion,  that  at  mo- 
ments I  feel  my  earthly  lonesomeness. 
This  subject  of  women  is  one  to  which  I 
have  been  giving  considerable  thought  here 
lately."  We  both  laughed  at  this.  "  I  do 
not  find  in  them  the  things  which  I  have 
been  taught,  which  you  yourself  have  taught 
me,  are  the  things  I  should  respect.  They 
177 


Mills  of  God 

look  at  a  man  with  beckoning  in  their  eyes  ; 
they  meet  him  more  than  half  way ;  they 
find  opportunities  which  he  would  never 
think  of ;  and  then,  when  he  loses  his  head 
and  does  the  thing  he  should  not,  but 
which,  as  I  see  it,  he  has  more  reasons  for 
doing,  being  more  strongly  tempted  from 
within,  there  is  made  some  hue  and  cry 
about  his  lack  of  honour." 

"  If  they  are  weaker,  they  are  to  be  the 
more  protected,"  I  answered. 

"  It's  the  old  argument,  I  find,"  he  said  ; 
"  but  they  enjoy  being  made  love  to  just 
as  much  as  a  man  enjoys  making  love  to 
them.  Not  you — not  men  of  your  sort — 
for  you  don't  care  about  that  kind  of  thing. 
I  do.  It  does  not  seem  to  me,  however, 
that  you  should  be  praised  any  more  than 
that  I  should  be  blamed.  You  don't  praise 
a  cow  for  not  eating  meat ;  it  doesn't  care 
for  it." 

"George,  George,"  I  cried,  "for  Heav- 
178 


Mills  of  God 

en's  sake  stop  jesting  !  This  is  not  a  sub- 
ject that  it  is  well  for  a  man  to  make  light 
upon." 

"  Is  it  not  ? "  he  continued.  "  Well,  if 
it  frets  you,  old  man,  I  sha'n't.  Let  us 
speak  of  other  things.  I  have  been  evolv- 
ing a  plan  of  late.  Tis  a  good  one,  I 
think,  and  new.  I  am  merely  offering  it 
as  a  suggestion,  you  will  observe.  Every 
man  who  is  born  has  a  fault  which  throws 
him,  on  an  average,  once  a  day,  and  he  is 
forced  to  spend  energy  and  vitality  in  the 
conquering  of  it.  Now,  why  wouldn't  it 
be  a  good  plan  for  him  to  treat  it  thus : 
He  will  say  to  himself  :  I  am  a  great  liar. 
True,  but  in  India  lying  is  no  vice ;  I  will 
go  to  India.  Or  I  am  fond  of  drunken- 
ness ;  in  China  it  is  recognised  as  a  neces- 
sity ;  by  some  reversion  of  the  race  I  am 
an  Englishman,  when  I  should  have  been  a 
Chinese,  so  I  will  hie  me  back  to  Yellow 
Land,  and  save  myself  work  and  battle. 
179 


Mills  of  God 

In  my  own  case  now  " — and  the  young  rake 
rose  and  put  his  thumbs  in  the  armholes 
of  his  flowered  waistcoat,  and  smiled  at 
me  whimsically — "  Turkey  is  my  home.  I 
could  there  have  a  harem  without  having 
the  finger  of  my  Scotch  friends  pointed  at 
me  in  scorn.  You  see  morality  is  largely 
a  question  of  latitude.  Of  course,  you 
agree  with  me,  Robin  ?  " 

"  Of  course  I  do  nothing  of  the  kind," 
I  answered.  "  You  are  born  an  Anglo- 
Saxon.  To  the  virtue  standards  of  that 
race  you  are  committed  by  birth " 

"  Robin,"  he  broke  in,  "  I  may  be  over- 
stating it,  but  I  believe,"  and  he  repeated 
this  with  a  separation  of  the  words  as 
though  in  precise  consideration,  "  I — may 
— be — overstating — it — but  I  believe  you 
to  be  as  incapable  of  a  joke  as  the  prophet 
Jeremiah." 

There  was  something  so  serious  in  the 
whole  talk,  under  the  veneer  of  gaiety,  that 
1 80 


Mills  of  God 

I  was  prepared,  after  supper,  for  the  sequel. 
He  was  dressing  for  some  new  piece  of 
devilry  with  some  men  to  whom  Henry 
Bedford  had  given  him  letters,  when  he 
strayed  over  to  my  rooms,  his  brushes  in 
his  hand. 

"  When  I  said  what  I  did  about  there 
being  nothing  in  my  family  to  corroborate 
me  this  afternoon,  Robin,  I  was  diverted 
from  the  tenure  of  my  real  thought  to 
those  few  sentiments  on  morality  which 
pleased  you  so.  What  I  had  intended 
saying  was  this  :  How  did  Sir  William 
Grafton  and  my  mother  come  to  have  a 
son  like  me  ?  My  mother — ah  !  she  is  an 
angel — and  Sir  William  has  been  a  model 
of  all  virtues  since  the  age  of  swaddling- 
clothes.  Now,  if  I  had  been  Bedford's 
son,  I  might  have  comprehended  it.  I  am 
more  like  him,  which  means  I  am  less  good 
than  I  should  be.  By  the  way,  why  have 
you  never  liked  him,  Robin  ?  " 
13  181 


Mills  of  God 

"There  are  many  things  about  Lord 
Bedford  which  are  very  admirable,"  I  an- 
swered. 

"Why  have  you  never  liked  him?"  he 
repeated  with  intention. 

"  Twas  temperament,"  I  answered  ; 
"  and,  too,  he  has  never  liked  me." 

"  There  is  some  deeper  reason  which  I 
can  not  fathom,"  he  responded,  "which  you 
will  not  tell,  of  course.  They  say  the 
Morin  woman  is  ruining  him ;  that  he 
squanders  huge  sums  on  her,  and  there 
has  been  talk  of  his  marrying  her,  you 
know.  Can  you  imagine  it  ?  He  must 
be  crazy." 

"  It  is  probably  mere  gossip,"  I  returned. 

"Probably,"  he  answered,  "for  how 
could  a  man  marry  a  woman  like  that  ? 
I  don't  recognise  the  necessity.  There  is 
only  one  kind  of  woman  that  I  can  im- 
agine marrying — the  woman  who  keeps  a 
man  at  arm's  length — at  arm's  length — 
182 


Mil/*  of  God 

in  spite  of  himself.  I  have  never  met  one 
— one  who  can  look  you  in  the  eyes  with 
a  will  as  strong  as  your  own  ;  but  when  I 
do,  mark  you,  Robin,  there  will  be  murder 
done — or  she  will  be  Mistress  George 
Grafton." 


183 


CHAPTER    XIII 

IN  March  Lord  Bedford  came  down 
from  London  and  carried  George  off  with 
him  to  Spain,  and  I  took  the  opportunity 
to  visit  my  people  in  Scotland.  It  was  not 
a  very  happy  sojourn,  the  threads  of  life 
which  had  formerly  held  me  close  to  mine 
own  people  having  been  sadly  loosed  by 
continued  absence  on  my  part,  and  by  the 
many  changes  which  had  come  to  them. 
It  was  with  a  feeling  of  youth  having  gone 
from  me  forever  that  I  retraced  my  foot- 
steps to  Paris,  where,  according  to  arrange- 
ment, I  was  to  meet  the  runaways.  There 
were  letters  awaiting  me  there  from  Lady 
Elinor  and  Sir  William,  telling  me  of  the 
Virginia  on-goings,  saying,  also,  that  by 
184 


Mills  of  God 

advices  from  Lord  Bedford,  who  had  writ- 
ten them  from  Spain,  he  was  planning  to 
return  to  Fairfax  House  when  George  and 
I  should  be  coming  home. 

According  to  these  advices,  several 
weeks  must  yet  elapse  before  George 
would  be  again  in  Paris.  I  was  settling 
myself  for  an  evening  of  a  pleasant  kind 
of  lonesomeness,  getting  my  traps  into 
some  sort  of  shape,  in  our  old  rooms  with 
the  lights  lighted,  and  a  brisk  fire  burn- 
ing, when  I  heard  a  rap  at  the  door,  and, 
opening  it,  discovered  Lord  Bedford. 

It  was  the  first  time  since  the  night  of 
the  birth  of  Master  George  that  we  had 
been  alone  together.  It  might  seem  that 
this  was  an  impossibility,  considering  the 
interwovenness  of  our  interests ;  but  when 
two  people  are  sincerely  determined  to 
avoid  each  other,  the  chances  for  much 
mutual  intercourse  are  slight.  This  deter- 
mination we  had  both  held.  There  was, 

185 


Mills  of  God 

therefore,  an  embarrassment  in  his  manner 
as  he  entered,  although  our  greetings  were 
friendly  enough. 

"  You  are  but  newly  arrived  from  Scot- 
land ?  "  he  asked. 

"  This  morning,"  I  answered  briefly. 

"  The  weather  is  moist  as  usual,  I  sup- 
pose." 

"  Fit  to  swim  in,"  I  responded. 

"  When  did  George  get  back  ? "  he 
asked. 

"  George  ! "  I  cried  in  some  amazement. 
"  Is  he  back  ?  I  have  not  seen  him.  He 
is  not  here." 

"  Not  here  !  "  he  repeated.  "  He  left 
me  nearly  three  weeks  ago  at  Rome.  By 
Jove  ! "  he  went  on  in  anger,  and  yet  with 
a  gleam  of  humour  in  his  eye.  "  It  is  the 
Masham  woman." 

41  It  is  doubtless  some  woman,  be  his 
whereabouts  known  or  unknown." 

"  Which  shows  you,  Mr.  Killduff,  to  be 
1 86 


Mills  of  God 

a  gentleman  of  some  penetrations,"  Lord 
Bedford  answered  with  a  laugh.  "  I  assure 
you  my  six  weeks  have  not  been  unoc- 
cupied, and  I  have  felt  that  your  last 
months  must  have  brought  you  many 
wearing  moments." 

"  They  have  not  been  entirely  want- 
ing," I  returned. 

"  George  is  a  problem  surely,  and  one 
which  I  state  openly  is  beyond  my  solv- 
ing." 

"  He  is  an  unusual  person,"  I  responded, 
"  both  in  his  gifts  and  his  faults." 

"  There  can  be  no  gainsaying  that," 
said  Lord  Bedford,  "  and  one  I  might  men- 
tion whom,  for  many  reasons,  I  am  par- 
ticularly interested  in." 

He  had  been  smoking,  and  as  he  said 
this  he  occupied  himself  with  his  pipe — 
a  little,  I  thought,  to  avoid  my  glance.  I 
made  no  response  whatever.  It  was  an 
occasion  which  required  a  very  nice  con- 
187 


Mills  of  God 

duct  to  make  the  situation  endurable  to 
either  of  us.  We  were  both  remembering 
and  wishing,  I  speak  for  myself  at  least, 
that  we  could  both  forget. 

"  We  have  had  many  talks  during  the 
travelling,  George  and  I,"  Lord  Bedford 
went  on.  "  You  will  doubtless  see  the 
humour  of  the  situation  when  I  tell  you 
that  I  even  tried  to  remonstrate  with  him 
on  some  occasions.  These  remonstrances 
ended  in  arguments  in  which  I  was  ever  the 
one  worsted,  because  of  a  peculiar  lack  in 
him  of,  I  might  call  it  conscience,  only  it  is 
a  harder  thing  to  name.  It  seems  almost  as 

though  he  had  no  standards  whatever " 

He  was  certainly  playing  very  near  to  the 
fire  in  this  speech,  and  he  felt  it,  for  he 
drew  off  and  said  :  "  If  there  be  any  one 
who  can  help  him,  it  is  surely  you,  Mr. 
Killduff.  I  have  it  from  his  own  lips  that 
he  has  more  respect  for  your  opinions  than 
for  those  of  any  other  man  on  earth.  In 
1 88 


Mills  of  God 

the  very  last  talk  we  had,  he  said  to  me  : 
'  You  know  a  good  deal  of  the  world, 
Lord  Bedford,  but  you  are  never  a  man 
for  any  one  to  tie  to.  Now  Mr.  Killduff  is 
as  sure  as  the  fixed  stars.  He  does  not 
amuse  me  so  well  as  you.  I  do  not  find 
him  so  charming,  I  have  never  imitated 
him  unconsciously  as  I  have  done  you,  but, 
before  Heaven,  I  respect  him  more  ! ' 
Think  of  it,  Mr.  Killduff,  you  and  I  are 
both  over  forty,  and  this  rascal  of  twenty 
sits  up  and  compares  us  and  tosses  off 
his  notes  and  tells  us  what  he  thinks 
of  us  with  the  coolness  of  an  equal  if 
not  a  superior  age.  I  find  the  situation 
humorous." 

"It  is  not  so  droll  to  live  with  as  for  a 
six  weeks'  jaunt,"  I  answered,  "  and  I  fear 
me  sometimes  for  what  may  happen  to 
George  Grafton  if  there  be  found  no  way 
to  deal  with  him.  There  is  in  him,  as  you 
say,  a  peculiar  lack  of  conscience.  I  re- 
189 


Mills  of  God 

member  only  too  well  the  intellectual 
wrestle  I  had  with  him  recently  when  I 
made  the  statement  to  him  that  almost  any 
man  would  defend  a  woman  against  an- 
other man,  but  that  it  took  a  very  fine 
gentleman  to  protect  a  woman  from  him- 
self." I  hated  this  man  so  that,  although 
the  shot  was  unconsciously  made,  I  was 
glad  to  see  that  it  hit  home.  "  He  has, 
so  far  as  I  know,"  I  went  on  after  a  while, 
"  been  crossed  in  nothing  in  his  life.  It 
is  ill  for  a  man  to  be  so  raised,  and  he 
neither  has  self-control  nor  can  he  be  made 
to  see  the  necessity  for  it.  When  I  think 
of  his  future,  it  is  with  fear  for  those  who 
love  him." 

There  was  a  kind  of  sadness  about 
Lord  Bedford  as  he  sat  and  talked  which 
was  unusual  to  the  man,  and  showed  him 
not  altogether  devoid  of  heart.  This  in- 
timacy with  George  had  taught  him  many 
things  which  he  would  have  been  happier 
IQO 


Mills  of  God 

not  to  know,  I  make  sure,  for  as  he  rose  to 
go  he  said  : 

"  He  will  find  for  himself  later  that  we 
pay  for  the  mistakes  of  our  youth.  Well, 
I  will  be  bidding  you  good-night,  and  will 
look  in  upon  you  again  before  I  go  to  Lon- 
don to  see  if  the  delinquent  has  arrived." 
I  lighted  him  down  the  stairs,  and  came 
back  to  my  fireside  with  the  thought  that 
he  had  come  to  me  for  something  of  which, 
by  reason  of  my  knowledge  of  him,  he  was 
ashamed  to  speak,  and  the  morsel  was  sweet 
to  my  palate  as  I  sat  before  the  fire. 


191 


I  BRING  my  lady's  story  down  now  to 
what  I  may  rightly  term  the  beginning 
of  the  close.  It  was  in  the  early  fall  of 
eighteen  hundred  and  twenty-two.  At  the 
arrival  of  the  English  mail  on  the  morning 
of  October  the  twentieth  of  this  year  the 
trouble  of  the  end  began.  There  had 
been  frequent  writings,  back  and  forth,  to 
the  old  country  about  the  visiting  us  of  a 
certain  Miss  Anne  Page  Dulany,  the  only 
daughter  of  Captain  Dulany's  younger 
brother.  These  projected  visits  had  been 
talked  of  among  us  many  times,  and,  hav- 
ing come  to  naught,  had  grown  to  be 
greatly  joked  about  in  the  family.  They 
would  say  that  Master  George  was  going 
192 


Mills  of  God 


to  begin  his  serious  studying  "  when  Anne 
comes,"  or  that  Lord  Bedford  would  stop 
running  the  horses  "when  Anne  comes," 
or  such  like,  meaning  an  imagined  future 
which  was  never  expected  to  arrive. 

This  Miss  Anne's  father  had  married, 
while  stationed  in  Spain,  a  Spanish  lady  of 
some  wealth  and  great  beauty,  who  died 
the  first  year  of  their  union,  leaving  him  a 
heart  saddened  for  life  and  a  little  daugh- 
ter. This  child  was  the  Miss  Anne  Page 
Dulany  for  whom  so  many  budgets  were 
sent  to  her  home  in  Scotland  from  our 
place,  and  who  came  among  us  for  our  sins 
this  day  of  which  I  write.  It  was  a  fine, 
breezy  morning,  with  a  plain  even  blue 
in  the  heavens  and  the  mountain  line 
showing  hard  against  the  sky.  My  lady 
was  on  the  terrace  feeding  the  peacocks, 
which  were  making  a  frightful  to-do  about 
her.  Lord  Harry  (who  was  at  Fairfax 
House  and  had  ridden  over  to  us  in  time 
193 


Mills  of  God 

for  breakfast)  and  Master  George  were 
using  the  foils,  standing  without  coats  or 
waistcoats  just  by  the  steps  of  the  veran- 
da. Sir  William,  whose  gout  was  unusu- 
ally bad,  and  I  were  having  a  game  of 
chess,  and  though  it  be  but  a  bit  of  garru- 
lity here,  I  desire  to  mention  in  justice  to 
myself  that  these  games  were  one  of  the 
crosses  of  my  life,  for  I  think  Sir  William 
was  the  worst  player  in  the  whole  country, 
ever  returning  undaunted  to  the  board, 
and  to  the  end  seeming  bitterly  surprised 
and  amazed  at  each  new  game  he  was 
beaten. 

Suddenly  the  figure  of  a  girl  turned 
into  the  laurel  walk.  She  wore  a  cloak 
of  scarlet-coloured  tabby  velvet,  the  hood 
thrown  back  from  her  head.  She  had  dark 
hair,  a  dusky  skin,  and  great  gray  eyes,  and 
gave  an  impression  of  extraordinary  beauty 
and  brightness.  She  came  directly  toward 
us,  with  no  more  self-consciousness  than  a 
194 


Mills  of  God 

bird,  and,  with  a  gleam  of  white  teeth  and 
scarlet  lips,  said,  in  a  voice  full  of  music, 
"  You  are  all  my  new  cousins,  aren't  you  ? " 

We  rose  to  greet  her,  Lord  Bedford 
and  Master  George  coming  forward  with 
the  foils  in  their  hands  to  pay  their  re- 
spects to  this  girl,  who,  I  believe  to 
this  day,  carried  a  kind  of  bewitchment 
about  her. 

"  I  left  the  others,"  she  said,  "  and 
came  forward  to  introduce  myself,"  and 
then,  with  what  would  have  been  abrupt- 
ness in  another,  but  in  her  seemed  only 
natural  and  expressive,  she  continued  :  "  It 
is  so  beautiful  here.  It  makes  me  think  of 
the  hacienda" 

She  seemed  as  completely  at  home, 
where  she  had  curled  herself  down  on  the 
steps,  as  if  she  had  been  among  us  for 
years,  and  I  have  seen  the  ladies,  who 
came  but  a  few  miles  in  their  coaches  to 
make  us  an  afternoon  visit,  more  upset  by 
195 


Mills  of  God 


the  journey  than  she  seemed  by  her  travel 
across  the  Atlantic  Ocean.  She  drank  the 
tea  we  gave  her  with  enjoyment,  laughed 
at  the  dismal  Chinese  figure  on  the  cup, 
and  looked  at  the  distant  mountains  with 
her  great  gray  eyes  as  though  she  had  con- 
templated naught  else  since  childhood. 

"  Consuelo  will  be  around  in  a  min- 
ute," she  continued,  flecking  some  crumbs 
to  the  sparrows.  "  Consuelo  is  my  father 
and  mother  and  all  my  kin — in  her  own 
esteem.  She  is,  in  reality,  an  old  nurse 
turned  into  my  maid,  who  has  few  prin- 
ciples and  less  English.  She  is  a  dread- 
ful liar,  and  I  have  heard  she  killed  one  of 
her  children  ;  otherwise  she  is  thoroughly 
estimable." 

I  can  set  down  the  words,  but  feel  my 
inadequacy  to  convey  the  fine  sense  of 
humour  she  was  able  to  put  into  this 
speech,  and  she  had  noticeably,  as  I  after- 
ward found,  a  distinction  of  language, 
196 


Mills  of  God 

making  an  old  word  to  shine  by  this  gift 
as  though  it  were  a  jewel  in  a  new  setting. 
"  Father  has  gone  to  Africa  again,"  she 
said,  in  answer  to  Sir  William's  inquiries, 
"  a  new  part.  I  always  went  with  him  be- 
fore, but  this  time  he  refused  to  take  me. 
He  has  gone  among  the  tribes  where  they 
eat  strange  women,  so  the  force  of  his 
argument  in  favour  of  my  staying  away 
appealed  to  me.  The  last  time  I  was 
there,"  she  went  on,  the  rest  of  us  in  a 
bewilderment  about  her,  "  a  large  negro 
chief  expressed  his  entire  willingness  to 
marry  me.  He  was  ready  to  waive  colour 
distinction,  he  said."  Here  there  was  a 
lowering  of  the  lids  and  an  undue  gravity. 
"  My  father  told  him  that  he  did  me  too 
much  honour,  and  that  my  spirit  would 
sink  beneath  it.  Realizing  the  natural- 
ness of  my  timidity,  he  encouraged  me 
with  this ;  and  allowed  me  to  depart." 
She  stretched  forth  her  hand  and  showed 
14  197 


Mills  of  God 

us  a  yellow  diamond,  the  largest  stone  I 
think  I  ever  saw  worn,  set  in  yellow,  yel- 
low gold. 

She  laughed  a  little  at  the  remembrance, 
and  then,  rising  at  some  meaning  gesture 
of  my  lady's  that  her  rooms  were  ready, 
there  being  some  small  delay  there,  for  at 
the  end  her  coming  was  unexpected,  she 
said,  with  the  same  charming  frankness  : 
"  You  have  found  out  already  that  I  talk 
too  much,  haven't  you  ? — so  I  shall  go  away 
with  my  cousin  Elinor,  who  is  the  beauti- 
fulest  woman  in  the  world.  I  know  you 
all  now,"  she  said,  with  the  prettiest  grace 
possible ;  "  this  is  Sir  William  Grafton, 
cousin  to  me  by  marriage  with  Elinor 
Dulany ;  this  is  my  cousin  George,  made 
in  the  likeness  of  his  Majesty  George  IV  ; 
this  is  Mr.  Killduff ;  and  this  is — "  she 
stopped  in  front  of  Lord  Bedford  and 
smiled  in  his  face  with  those  wonderful 
gray  eyes  of  hers,  and  hesitated. 
198 


Mills  of  God 

"  Lord  Bedford,  our  friend  and  yours," 
my  lady  interpolated. 

"  Will  you  really  be  my  friend  ? "  she 
said,  reaching  out  her  hand  to  him  ;  and 
after  a  minute's  contemplation  she  added, 
"  You  look  as  if  you  need  a  friend  your- 
self, my  lord." 

This  coming  of  Anne  made  a  new  era 
in  our  lives.  I  could  write  for  days  of  the 
stories  she  told  us  of  court  and  camp,  for 
she  had  followed  her  father  in  his  soldier- 
ing through  many  of  the  countries  of  the 
world  ;  but  it  would  go  little  way  toward 
setting  forth  her  great  audacity  and  charm. 
She  had,  as  none  other  I  have  ever  known, 
a  gift  in  her  way  with  men.  High  born 
or  low,  good  or  bad,  drunken  or  sober,  she 
held  them,  as  it  were,  in  the  hollow  of 
her  hand.  She  knew  the  world,  weighed 
its  worth  with  the  wisdom  of  a  serpent 
and  the  heart  of  a  little  child,  and  one 
knew  that  here  there  would  be  no  throw- 
199 


Mills  of  God 


ing  of  the  cap  over  the  wind-mills  for 
love. 

It  was  with  a  kind  of  joy  that  I  found 
she  spoke  a  good  Scottish  dialect  when- 
ever she  grew  very  angry.  She  had  lived 
some  of  her  most  impressionable  years  in 
Scotland,  she  told  us,  adding,  with  a  smile : 
"  You  would  be  surely  finding  it  out  when 
I  get  angry.  It's  a  bonny  tongue  to  call 
names  in — the  Scot." 

From  the  first  it  was  Master  George 
who  was  her  chosen  friend  and  comrade, 
and  this  fell  the  more  naturally  because  of 
their  youth  and  their  music.  Having  great 
skill  on  the  violin,  on  which  instrument 
her  performance  exceeded  that  of  Master 
George,  although  he  played  fine  too,  with 
Lady  Elinor  at  the  piano,  the  two  would 
spend  whole  mornings  at  their  music,  the 
house  ringing  with  the  sweet  sounds. 

Here  Lord  Bedford  would  frequently 
join  them,  singing  in  his  mellow  voice  to 
200 


Mills  of  God 

their  accompaniment  some  of  Mr.  Burns's 
or  Mr.  Moore's  love  songs,  and,  altogether, 
it  seemed  as  though  the  happiest  days  of 
our  lives  were  going  forward  at  Deepdeen. 

It  was  of  Henry  Bedford's  relations 
with  Miss  Anne  that  I  would  now  be  deal- 
ing, for,  from  the  very  first  speech  that  she 
ever  made  to  him,  he  was  drawn  toward 
her,  I  could  see,  and  that  with  no  small 
attraction.  I  could  see  also  that  it  piqued 
him  in  no  small  degree  that  she  made  no 
moment  of  him  either  one  way  or  the  other  ; 
forgetting  him  when  he  was  gone,  and  re- 
membering him  only  when  her  eyes  alighted 
on  him  anew. 

There  was  a  day  to  come,  however, 
when  there  fell  a  change  in  behaviour  be- 
tween them.  Miss  Anne  had  made  ready 
in  the  scarlet  cloak  and  hood  to  go  forth 
for  a  romp  with  the  dogs.  She  was  stand- 
ing with  them  frolicking  around  her  on  the 
lawn,  when  she  espied  Lord  Bedford  com- 
201 


Mills  of  God 

ing  over  the  foot-bridge.  There  was  an 
unsteadiness  in  his  gait,  which  made  her 
watch  him  uneasily,  and  then,  the  power 
being  on  her,  she  went  to  meet  him.  They 
came  together  in  the  lilac  walk,  she  with 
the  distinction  of  a  mission  in  her  carriage, 
he,  with  his  bloated  face  and  eyes  glazed  by 
drink,  regarding  her  unsteadily  and  with 
much  deprecation,  being  further  gone  in 
his  drunkenness  than  I  had  ever  before 
seen  him. 

44 1  think  shame  on  you,  my  lord  ! "  she 
said,  the  colour  burning  through  her  face. 
"  Ye  poor,  childish  thing  !  Ye  poor  feck- 
less creature,  that  hasna  yet  gotten  the  self- 
control  of  a  man  !  Sit  ye  down  here  and 
keep  yourself  away  from  the  eyes  of  them 
that  would  be  shamed  by  your  coming." 

My  lord  was  not  so  far  gone  but  that 
he  was  stung  to  the  quick,  and  as  he  wa- 
vered into  a  seat  he  stammered  forth  some 
excuse  of  trouble  that  she  knew  not  of. 
202 


Mills  of  God 

"Trouble!"  she  retorted,  with  fine 
scorn,  "  and  is  it  thus  ye  bear  your  trouble  ? 
Ye  deaden  your  senses  because  ye  canna 
look  in  the  face  what  life  has  broughten 
ye  !  An  I  were  a  man  I  wouldna  cross 
swords  with  ye  for  a'  the  world."  And 
then,  with  a  fierce  kind  of  scorn,  "  Ye 
coward  ! " 

Lord  Bedford  was  shamed  into  a  partial 
sobriety  by  these  words,  or  the  unexpect- 
edness of  the  attack,  or  the  ecstasy  of  in- 
dignation which  burned  in  the  girl ;  and 
some  hours  later,  when  he  was  able  to 
mount  his  horse  to  ride  back  to  Fairfax 
House,  he  seemed  as  one  who  was  going 
home  to  think. 

From  that  very  day  the  change  between 
them  set  in,  and  I  made  sure  that  Miss 
Anne  had  handled  many  a  one  of  her 
father's  drunken  friends  ere  this ;  and 
steadily  from  that  time  I  could  see  Lord 
Bedford  drifting  farther  and  farther  toward 
203 


Mills  of  God 

her,  bewitched,  bedeviled,  irritated,  soothed, 
dismayed,  but  ever  interested. 

Twice  I  saw  her  put  her  hand  before 
him  and  turn  his  glasses  down  at  dinner, 
looking  at  him  as  she  did  so  through  eyes 
which  never  doubted  their  own  power ;  and 
another  time  she  took  him  from  the  table 
when  the  ladies  left,  but  how  that  was  done 
I  could  not  tell. 

Nor  was  it  alone  on  his  sins  of  com- 
mission that  she  dwelt,  but  on  those  of 
omission  as  well ;  and  one  day  being  in 
sky-scraping  spirits,  when  there  was  naught 
that  she  would  stickle  at  to  say  to  him — or 
to  any  one  else  for  the  matter  of  that — she 
came  down  from  her  practising  to  find  him 
playing  at  billiards  with  Master  George. 

"Where  are  you  going,  Anne?"  Lord 
Bedford  called  out  after  her  as  she  passed 
the  door.  She  turned  and  looked  at  him 
for  a  moment,  with  merriment  and  a  law- 
less kind  of  candour  in  her  eye,  before  she 
204 


Mills  of  God 

answered  :  "  Where  you  will  soon  be  unable 
to  go  at  all,  my  lord.  I  am  going  to  think. 
How  can  you,"  she  went  on  in  a  fire  of  im- 
patience, "  go  on  as  ye  do  ?  Ye  bear  a 
name  older  than  your  king's  ;  your  people 
have  been  the  great  of  the  earth  since  Char- 
lemagne ;  ye  had  gifts  at  your  birth  second 
to  none  ;  and  ye  ride  after  the  little  foxes, 
and  push  balls  over  a  green  cloth,  and  roar 
at  the  fighting  of  chickens,  and  sit  around 
the  house  like  an  old  mother.  Thank 
Heaven !  I've  known  some  men  in  my 
time,  else  I  might  think  ye  one  ;  and  so, 
good-morning  to  ye,  my  lord  ! "  and  she  was 
gone,  with  her  wild  spirits  and  her  great 
beauty,  through  the  doorway  before  Lord 
Bedford  could  make  the  answer  which  I 
think  he  intended. 

Whether   Lady    Elinor    noticed    Miss 

Anne's  conduct  toward  Lord  Bedford,  or 

his  toward  her,  I  did  not  know  at  this  time. 

She  knew  naught  of  the  other  women  in 

205 


Mills  of  God 

his  life,  however,  and  doubtless  felt  so  sure 
of  his  twenty  years'  allegiance  to  her  that 
she  probably  thought  little  of  his  attentions 
to  Miss  Anne  one  way  or  another ;  or,  if 
she  noted  their  intimacy  at  all,  was  pleased 
to  observe  that  it  kept  him  from  the  drink, 
and  that  he  seemed  more  like  his  earlier 
self  than  he  had  done  for  years. 

It  was  hard,  too,  for  Lady  Elinor  to 
judge  Miss  Anne  in  anything,  for  there  was 
never  a  greater  difference  between  women 
than  that  between  Miss  Anne  and  Lady 
Elinor,  whose  pride  and  reserve  made  it 
well-nigh  impossible  for  her  to  do  many 
things  which  Miss  Anne  would  consider 
her  very  duty. 

It  is  difficult  in  the  extreme  to  set  these 
two  women  side  by  side,  to  compare,  even 
if  my  memory  were  more  dispassionate 
than  it  is.  Miss  Anne  showed  every  mood 
in  every  curve  of  her  lightsome  body,  in 
every  line  of  her  beautiful  face,  and  this, 
206 


Mills  of  God 

too,  with  a  power  of  language  to  be  re- 
membered at  some  length.  Sorrow,  scorn, 
mirth,  or  joy,  whatever  emotion  swayed 
her  (and  she  was  seldom  either  motionless 
or  emotionless),  she  showed  forth  with  a 
kind  of  theatric  lawlessness  ;  yet  underneath 
it  all  was  a  woman  who  could  never  yield 
herself  to  any  man  save  at  the  altar's  foot. 

With  Lady  Elinor  the  case  was  differ- 
ent. She  had  such  an  idea  of  high  conduct 
that  to  show  strong  emotion  in  public 
seemed  grossly  presumptuous  toward  others, 
besides  admitting  them  to  an  intimacy 
from  which  her  very  nature  shrank.  Yet 
where  her  heart  spake  there  was  ever  a 
yielding,  and  she  gave  with  no  thought  at 
all  of  self  in  the  giving. 

One  morning,  in  the  third  month  of 
Miss  Anne's  stay  among  us,  Master  George 
announced  at  luncheon,  to  the  guests,  who 
numbered  perhaps  twenty,  that  there  would 
be  a  "grand  entertainment"  in  the  large 
207 


Mills  of  God 

drawing-room  that  evening  at  eight.  "  The 
management,"  he  explained  mockingly, 
after  the  manner  of  showmen,  "  had  spared 
neither  pains  nor  expense  in  presenting  the 
famous  Spanish  dancer,  Elita  del  Espana, 
and  the  celebrated  troubadour,  Don  Camillo 
d'Arcos,  to  their  Worshipful  Highnesses 
at  Deepdeen  "  ;  and,  as  he  turned  to  leave 
the  room,  he  added,  with  an  infectious 
laugh,  "  A  collection  will  be  taken  up  for 
the  benefit  of  a  poor  young  man  who  is 
always  in  debt,"  and,  with  a  droll  look  at 
his  mother,  he  disappeared  into  the  hall, 
where  Miss  Anne  was  waiting  for  him. 

By  night  a  goodly  company,  most  of 
them  staying  with  us,  some  of  them  hastily 
bidden  from  the  country-side,  had  assem- 
bled in  front  of  a  mimic  stage  ;  Sir  Wil- 
liam, who  ever  showed  at  his  best  when 
acting  as  host,  having  been  wheeled  near 
the  door  to  welcome  his  guests  as  they 
entered,  his  glances  passing  from  the  boy 
208 


Mills  of  God 

George,  whom  he  loved  so  fondly,  to  the 
wife  whom  he  adored,  who  stood  beside 
his  chair. 

There  was  no  great  difficulty  in  getting 
an  abundance  of  good  music,  Lady  Elinor, 
Master  George,  and  Miss  Anne  being  in 
such  constant  rehearsal  that  there  was  little 
for  them  to  do  in  the  way  of  preparation, 
save  to  decide  the  compositions  which 
would  be  best  received.  Several  such 
numbers  were  given  before  Lord  Bedford, 
looking  very  distinguished  and  poetic,  sang, 
in  Spanish  costume,  some  delightful  songs 
of  troubadour  kind  ;  but  the  great  surprise 
was  at  the  end,  when,  after  the  curtain  had 
been  dropped  for  some  minutes,  it  rose 
again  to  the  sound  of  the  bolero  music, 
while  to  the  middle  of  the  stage  glided  a 
most  lovely  vision — a  girl,  clad  in  white 
and  silver,  with  scarlet  roses  in  her  dusky 
hair,  and  the  lace  of  a  mantilla  dropping 
down  from  a  high  comb. 
209 


Mills  of  God 

She  advanced  well  to  the  front,  the 
pride  of  youth  in  every  move  ;  the  haughti- 
ness of  Spain,  the  consciousness  of  power, 
in  every  glance  of  her  eyes.  As  for  the 
dance  itself,  I  had  not  then,  nor  have  I 
since,  seen  it  equalled  ;  it  was  not  a  con- 
tortion of  limbs  without  meaning  or  ex- 
pression, such  as  most  dancing  is,  but  told 
its  story  well  and  fully. 

Upon  being  recalled  with  much  clap- 
ping of  hands  and  " bravas"  from  the 
gentlemen,  Miss  Anne  came  back  to  dance 
again  ;  and  this  time  it  was  the  dance  of  be- 
witchment, the  dance  of  Herodias's  daugh- 
ter, I  make  sure.  I  could  see  in  it  a  man, 
led  on  to  expect  all,  rejected,  flouted,  teased ; 
there  was  a  humour  to  make  one  laugh 
aloud  in  the  manner  of  walking  away  from 
this  imaginary  person,  looking  backward 
over  her  shoulder,  with  a  rose  held  between 
her  lips  ;  and  the  complete  surrender  at  the 
end,  regardless  of  honour  or  consequences. 
210 


Mills  of  God 

It  was  just  at  the  close,  when  every  one 
was  more  or  less  carried  away  by  the  ex- 
citement of  it,  that  I  glanced  across  at 
Lord  Bedford.  He  was  standing  near  the 
stage,  and,  as  I  scanned  his  face,  I  saw  in 
his  eyes  the  look  of  passion  and  determina- 
tion I  had  seen  in  them  twenty  years  be- 
fore, in  the  lilac  walk  at  Deepdeen,  the 
first  time  he  had  seen  my  lady. 

The  joy  of  the  evening  was  gone  for 
me,  and  after  the  guests  had  retired  I  went 
into  the  library  to  be  alone  for  a  little.  As 
I  stood  looking  into  the  fire  I  heard  a 
small  noise  behind  me,  and  turning,  found 
Master  George  lying  at  full  length  on  one 
of  the  couches,  a  rose  between  his  fingers, 
staring  up  at  the  ceiling ;  never  before  had 
I  seen  him  look  so  handsome,  although 
there  was  a  madness  in  his  eye  as  in  one 
who  had  loosed  the  bonds  of  moral  ob- 
ligation. 

"  Well,  man  Robin,"  he  said,  as  he  saw 
211 


Mills  of  God 

who  I  was,  "  what  did  you  think  of  her  ? 
Isn't  she  wonderful  ?  "  and  as  he  came  over 
and  put  his  hand  on  my  shoulder  I  thought, 
with  a  grim  smile,  of  the  surprises  Fate 
keeps  up  her  sleeve  for  us  all,  to  speak 
rudely ;  for  here  were  father  and  son  gone 
daft  over  the  same  woman,  who,  so  far  as 
I  could  see,  cared  not  a  button  for  either. 
It  was  soon  after  this  dance  evening 
that  Lady  Elinor,  Sir  William,  and  Master 
George  received  an  invitation  from  Presi- 
dent and  Mrs.  Monroe  to  visit  them,  in 
order  to  be  present  at  a  great  ball  to  be 
given  in  honour  of  some  English  folk  who 
were  staying  with  them.  Sir  William  ever 
held  the  President  in  high  esteem,  besides 
knowing  that  it  was  great  wisdom  to  keep 
in  touch  with  the  administration  on  ac- 
count of  the  interests  in  the  North  which 
must  ever  be  thought  of ;  so  for  both 
reasons  the  family  accepted  the  invitation 
with  great  pleasure.  It  was  not  until  later 
212 


Mills  of  God 

that  I  discovered  that  Lord  Bedford,  too, 
had  been  bidden,  but  had  sent  back  some 
flimsy  excuses  about  his  health  as  a  reason 
for  remaining  away.  It  was  arranged  that 
Madame  Dulany  should  come  over  to 
Deepdeen  and  keep  Miss  Anne  company 
during  the  family's  absence. 

The  afternoon  of  the  day  before  the 
family  were  to  set  forth,  Miss  Anne  had 
come  into  the  house  flushed  and  merry 
from  a  long  walk  over  the  hills.  She  was 
wrapped  up  in  sealskin,  the  brown  of  the 
fur  setting  forth  her  face  so  that  it  seemed 
to  shine  with  a  kind  of  radiance  as  she  put 
her  curly  head,  which  was  covered  with  a 
scarlet  fez,  through  the  door. 

Master  George  had  but  just  come  in 
from  the  stables,  where  he  had  been  leav- 
ing some  final  orders  about  the  horses. 
Seeing  him  standing  in  front  of  the  fire, 
she  said,  "  I  want  my  tea,"  with  the  petu- 
lance of  a  child.  He  laughed  at  her,  for 
15  213 


Mills  of  God 

the  ill  humour  was  but  acting  on  her  part, 
and,  going  over  to  her,  said  something 
which  I  could  see  startled  her  greatly, 
though  she  followed  him,  evidently  at  his 
request,  into  the  hall.  Here  they  talked 
at  some  length — he  with  much  earnest- 
ness of  manner  and  a  ring  of  great  sin- 
cerity in  his  speech.  It  was  not  long 
after  that  I  heard  her  laugh  aloud  and  say 
gaily  : 

"  You !  Why,  you're  nothing  but  a 
broth  of  a  boy." 

"  I  am  older  than  you,"  he  responded. 

41  Years  have  nothing  to  do  with  age  in 
a  woman.  I  am  fifty  in  experience.  It  is 
written,  '  A  man  may  not  marry  his  grand- 
mother.'" 

Through  it  all  it  was  plainly  evident 
that  she  could  regard  Master  George  but  as 
a  lad,  and  his  infatuation  for  herself  as  noth- 
ing but  a  boyish  fancy  which  should  not  be 
taken  seriously,  lest  it  should  make  it  seem 
214 


Mills  of  God 


of  more  importance  to  himself  than  it 
really  was.  As  it  turned  out,  it  would  have 
been  far  wiser  had  she  treated  the  matter 
as  one  of  more  importance,  and  refused 
Master  George  once  for  all,  as  a  woman 
does  a  man,  and  not  allowed  him  to  ride 
away  to  Washington  believing,  as  he  did, 
that  she  had  but  teased  him  with  a  refusal 
which  at  some  later  date  might  be  turned 
into  an  acceptance. 

The  party  set  off  the  following  morning 
in  a  coach  and  six,  with  outriders,  my  lady's 
luggage  (for  there  was  much  necessary  to 
make  the  stoppage  at  the  two  inns  endur- 
able) being  taken  behind  in  a  covered 
wagon.  Master  George  was  to  ride  along- 
side on  his  own  horse. 

Lady  Elinor  stood  at  the  door  a  minute 
in  her  great  black  velvet  hat  and  cloak  for 
some  little  talk  with  us  who  were  to  remain 
at  home.  Miss  Anne  was  giving  her  mes- 
sage after  message  for  the  President  from 
215 


Mills  of  God 

the  steps  outside,  where  she  and  Lord  Bed- 
ford were  standing. 

"  Tell  Mr.  Monroe  that  I  am  well.  He 
will  be  lying  awake  nights  worrying  else  ; 
and  to  Mrs.  Monroe,  say  that  my  salmon- 
coloured  tabby  velvet  has  a  hole  in  the 
hem — which  I  burned — but  that  my  father 
thinks  I  am  becoming,  on  the  whole,  a  bit 
steadier  in  my  conduct." 

"  Your  father  is  the  more  deceived  then, 
madcap,"  Lady  Elinor  said,  smiling  fondly 
down  on  the  little  thing.  "  Good-bye." 

"  Good-bye — good-bye  —  good-bye  —  " 
Miss  Anne  called,  as  the  coach  drove  away. 
"  Bring  me  a  present." 


216 


CHAPTER  XV 

IT  was  the  Friday  after  the  family's 
return  from  this  Washington  visit  which 
began  the  bad  trouble  for  us  all.  Early  in 
the  day  I  was  out  overlooking  the  ken- 
nels, when  Master  George,  accompanied 
by  a  disreputable  bitch  pointer  which  he 
had  ruined  teaching  tricks,  turned  into 
the  path  from  the  stables.  Although  his 
face  was  smiling,  it  was  with  a  rather 
anxious  eye  that  he  returned  my  salu- 
tation. 

"  Are  you  busy,  Robin,"  he  inquired, 
"or  have  you  time  to  talk  to  the  idle- 
born?" 

"  What  is  the  trouble  now,  sir  ? "  I 
asked,  knowing  his  usual  method  of  com- 
217 


Mills  of  God 

ing  to  me  for  help  only,  either  in  money 
matters  or  love  affairs. 

"  There  is,"  he  answered,  with  laughter 
held  in  his  eyes,  "a  certain  uncompli- 
mentary insinuation  in  your  question.  We 
will  waive  that,  however.  Man  Robin,  I 
am  in  trouble." 

"Who  is  it  this  time?" 

The  young  rake  looked  at  me  for  a 
moment,  and  there  was  that  of  his  mother 
in  his  look  which  made  me  say  less  than  I 
thought  as  he  answered,  "  Caddie  Brown." 

The  Browns  were  some  decent  people 
who  had  been  on  the  place  but  a  short 
time,  the  man  to  have  charge  of  the  stock, 
in  which  matters  he  was  well  informed,  and 
the  wife  and  daughter  to  assist  in  the  knit- 
ting and  weaving.  The  girl  Caddie  was  a 
handsome,  lazy  lass,  who  had  had  an  eye 
for  Master  George  from  her  first  sight  of 
him.  This  I  had  noted  from  the  start. 

He  sat  on  the  edge  of  an  old  box,  slap- 
218 


Mills  of  God 

ping  his  boots  with  his  riding  crop,  and 
told  the  story  with  an  impersonality  which 
bewildered  me. 

"  She  was  a  taking  body,"  he  said,  "  and 
one  day  I  met  her  in  the  far  wood.  This 
was  really  by  accident,  at  least  so  far  as  I 
was  concerned.  The  next  day  I  went 
again.  This  visit  was  intentional.  I 
wanted  to  see  if  she  would  come.  I 
found  her  there  in  some  sort  of  thin  blue 
gown.  This  day  I  kissed  her  when  we 
parted,  and  told  her  she  must  never  come 
again,  that  she  was  too  handsome  a  woman 
for  me  to  see  much  of ;  that  her  blue 
eyes  might  make  sad  havoc.  By  George  ! 
they  were  fine  eyes  !  Well,  of  course, 
we  met  again,  and  again,  and  yet  again, 
and  there's  trouble  coming.  Her  mother 
knows.  Twice  she  has  threatened  to  come 
to  my  mother  about  it,  and  I  greatly  fear 
she  will.  I  thought,  perhaps,  that  you 
would  help  me,  Robin." 
219 


Mills  of  God 

"  It's  bad  business,  George,"  I  answered. 
"  It  is  no  light  matter  to  ruin  a  woman's 
life." 

"  Bosh  ! "  he  answered  ;  "  her  life  is  not 
ruined.  People  always  take  these  things 
too  seriously.  Give  her  plenty  of  money, 
send  her  away  until  after  the  child  is  born  ; 
some  small  farmer  will  marry  her,  and  she 
will  probably  forget  the  whole  affair  in  a 
few  years." 

"  Boy,"  I  said  sternly,  "  in  affairs  of  th;s 
kind  you  seem  to  have  the  moral  sense  of 
animals  only.  I  have  helped  you  oftener 
already  than  my  conscience  stands  easy 
under.  You  will  attend  to  this  matter 
alone." 

"  Then,"  he  said,  looking  up  at  me  slyly, 
"  my  mother  will  surely  know."  He  knew 
his  power  over  me — had  always  known  it. 

"  Well,"  I  yielded,  "  I  will  try  to  hush 
this   matter   up.     I   will   do   what    I    can. 
Shall  I  go  to  see  these  people  ? " 
220 


Mills  of  God 

"  It  might  be  best.  It's  damned  awk- 
ward coming  just  now,  for  if  Anne  should 
know,  she'll  probably  raise  the  devil  of 
a  row." 

"  I  don't  think  she  would  mind  it 
as  much  as  most  women  would,"  I  an- 
swered. 

"  Why  ?  "  he  asked. 

"  Well,  she  knows  more  of  men's  ways 
than  any  woman  I  have  ever  known,  and 
personally  I  believe  it  would  interest  her 
none  at  all.  She  will " — and  the  irritation 
in  me  showed  itself  in  this — "she  will,  to 
my  thinking,  be  marrying  Lord  Bedford 
before  long." 

"  Bedford  !"  he  retorted ;  "  why,  he's  old 
enough  to  be  her  father." 

"  It  makes  no  difference,"  I  answered 
stolidly  ;  "  it  is  he  that  she  will  be  marry- 
ing, and  it's  little,  one  way  or  the  other, 
she  will  think  of  your  light  loves,  George 
Grafton." 

221 


Mills  of  God 

I  was  outdone  with  him  to  such  an 
extent  that  there  was  much  I  intended  say- 
ing, when  he  rose  to  his  feet,  and,  turning 
a  little  away  from  me,  said,  with  a  knowing 
smile  and  something  sneering,  "  It's  you 
that  ought  to  know  about  such  things, 
Robin — you  who  have  been  in  love  with 
another  man's  wife  these  twenty  years," 
and,  taking  his  brainless  dog  with  him,  he 
turned  on  his  heel  and  left  me. 

It  was  but  a  few  hours  later  that, 
coming  down  the  hall,  I  heard  voices  from 
the  breakfast-room.  A  woman  was  speak- 
ing in  an  excited  way,  yet  I  caught  a  note 
of  pleading  in  the  tone,  too. 

"If  it  were  not,"  the  voice  said,  "for 
fear  of  her  father,  we  would  ask  no  fa- 
vours, me  and  my  daughter ;  we  have  our 
pride  as  well  as  others." 

My  lady  was  standing,  as  I  entered, 
with  her  back  to  me,  and  the  woman 
Brown,  whose  eyes  were  red  with  weeping, 

222 


Mills  of  God 

stood  by  one  of  the  serving-tables.  As  I 
came  forward  the  woman  looked  at  me 
with  ill-concealed  irritation  at  the  inter- 
ruption. My  lady  saw  the  look,  although 
she  kept  her  eyes  averted  from  me,  and 
her  face  was  very  pale. 

"  Good-morning,  Mrs.  Brown,"  I  said, 
as  courteously  as  I  could.  "  You  must 
spare  my  lady's  presence  for  a  minute. — 
Master  George  would  like  to  see  you,  Lady 
Elinor,"  I  continued,  "  in  the  smoking- 
room." 

She  left  me  alone  with  the  snivelling, 
small  woman,  and  I  spoke  quickly,  and 
with  what  force  I  was  able. 

"There  is  a  very  generous  allowance 
to  be  made  for  you  and  your  daughter," 
I  broke  forth,  "  if  this  matter  comes  not 
to  my  lady's  ears.  Money  will  be  forth- 
coming for  her  departure  from  this  place, 
which  will  prevent  her  disgrace  being 
known  —  money  to  live  in  comfort  for 
223 


Mills  of  God 

the  rest  of  your  lives,  for  both  of  you, 
if  I  can  be  sure  of  your  silence." 

Mrs.  Brown  hesitated  a  minute,  and  I 
asked,  "What  is  it  that  you  have  already 
said?" 

"  I  have  told  her  that  my  daughter's 
condition  is  due  to  one  who  is  very  near 
to  her,  and  have  asked  help  in  concealing 
the  affair  from  my  man,  who,  as  you  know, 
is  one  of  fierce  temper  and  bad  to  rouse." 

"You  have,"  I  said,  "mentioned  no 
names  ?  " 

"  I  have  not." 

"Are  you  willing,"  I  asked,  "to  trust 
the  management  of  this  affair  to  me,  for 
a  few  days  longer  at  least?  I  will  walk 
down  to  your  house  with  you,  and  we  will 
discuss  a  plan.  I  speak  for  Master  George, 
you  know." 

It  needed  little  persuasion,  and  after  an 
hour's  visit  the  affair  was  settled  between 
us.  I  but  drag  it  into  the  pages  of  this 
224 


Mills  of  God 

story  to  show  the  curious  effect  it  had  on 
my  life.  When  I  came  back  to  the  house 
my  lady  was  sitting  in  the  mullioned  win- 
dow reading.  The  stained  glass  behind 
her  made  her  look  like  some  fair  saint,  and 
as  I  came  toward  her  I  noticed  that  her 
eyes  were  wet  with  tears. 

"It  is  all  settled,"  I  said  as  brightly  as 
I  could.  "  I  can  not  for  my  life  under- 
stand how  every  trouble  for  miles  around 
is  brought  to  you,  save  that  your  generous 
heart  and  big  nature  tell  people  who  will 
help  them  in  their  hour  of  need." 

She  kept  her  eyes  from  me  during  this 
speech,  and  there  was  something  of  an 
awkward  pause  before  she  arose.  Coming 
toward  me,  she  put  one  hand  on  my  shoul- 
der, and  said  with  great  gentleness  and 
sweetness,  but  with  a  sob  in  her  voice : 
"  Between  you  and  me,  Robin,  there  need 
be  no  dissimulation.  I  would  help  you  in 
any  way  I  could — in  any  matter.  Only," 
225 


Mills  of  God 

and  the  tears  welled  up  in  her  eyes,  "  you 
have  been  so  nearly  my  ideal  of  manhood 
— there  has  been  in  your  conduct  naught 
but  of  the  finest  —  that  this  thing  has 
brought  with  it  such  a  shock  as  I  think 
I  shall  never  get  over.  You  have  all  but 
broken  my  heart,  Robin  Killduff." 

My  lower  jaw*  actually  dropped,  and 
my  eyes  stared  at  her  in  a  kind  of  imbe- 
cility, as  it  dawned  on  me  of  what  she 
thought. 

"  You  loved  her,  didn't  you,  Robin  ? 
Oh,  tell  me  at  least  that  you  love  her, 
and  will  marry  her  ! " 

I  stammered  forth  some  lame  excuse  as 
the  truth  broke  over  me.  Thanks  to  the 
vagueness  of  Mrs.  Brown,  my  lady  had 
picked  me  out  as  the  culprit.  No  expla- 
nation seemed  adequate  just  then.  There 
was  none  other,  save  Master  George,  to 
bear  the  shame  if  I  denied  it.  I  knew 
of  a  trouble  coming  to  her  which  would 
226 


Mills  of  God 

almost  crush  her  proud  spirit.  I  thought  of 
her  absolute  belief  in  George  as  a  model  of 
all  the  virtues,  she  being  ever  love-blinded 
where  her  son  was  concerned,  and  what  I 
did,  if  foolish,  was  at  least  for  love  of  her. 

"  I  will  marry  her,"  I  said,  "  if  she 
wishes  me  to." 

"  It  is  the  least  you  can  do,"  my  lady 
returned,  wiping  her  eyes.  "  I  am  glad 
you  will  try  to  do  what  is  right.  We 
have  ever  loved  you  so,  Robin,  that  I 
feel  the  shame  of  this  almost  as  though  it 
were  George  himself." 

I  turned  and  left  the  room  some  min- 
utes later,  and  found  George  smoking  on 
the  front  steps. 

"  Well,"  he  said,  with  his  merry  smile, 
"  I  have  been  waiting  around  to  apologize, 
old  man,  for  the  nasty  speech  I  made  to 
you  this  morning.  But  every  one  sees  you 
are  in  love  with  my  mother ;  God  knows, 
I  think  it's  fine  !  I  am  not  capable  of  such 
227 


Mills  of  God 

a  thing  myself.  It  seems  a  bit  foolish,  but 
still  it's  fine.  I  think  you  have  something 
of  the  hero  about  you,  Robin  Killduff." 

I  smiled  at  him  grimly. 

"  One  would  need  to  have  who  lived 
with  you,"  I  answered,  and  strode  back  to 
the  stables. 

Twas  perhaps  two  o'clock  of  this  same 
damned  Friday  that  the  affair  of  Henry 
Bedford  and  Miss  Anne  was  made  known 
to  my  Lady  Grafton  in  the  manner  which 
I  set  down  word  for  word,  as  it  was  put 
into  her  journal  that  same  night. 

44  If  I  only  can  write  it  forth  !  If  God 
will  only  give  me  strength  to  set  it  all 
down,  it  may  ease  this  clutch  at  my  heart, 
which  seems  to  be  killing  me  minute  by 
minute.  I  have  felt  the  change,  a  little  at 
a  time,  coming — coming;  but  I  deluded 
myself  into  the  belief  it  was  but  that  we 
were  both  growing  older.  This  afternoon 
228 


Mills  of  God 

I  sat  with  my  embroidery  in  the  great 
window.  My  heart  was  sore  enough,  God 
knows,  because  of  this  news  of  Robin  and 
Caddie  Brown.  Life  seemed  so  strange,  so 
unknowable,  when  from  the  music-room 
Anne  came.  She  was  all  in  white  ;  she  had 
been  in  the  conservatory  and  had  some 
stalks  of  white  flowers  in  her  hands,  and  as 
she  came  toward  me  she  walked  through  the 
scattered  spots  of  coloured  light  which  lay 
on  the  floor  from  the  stained  glass  of  the 
windows.  Before  she  spoke,  I  knew — we 
Irish  have  something,  I  believe,  that  other 
races  have  not — I  knew  my  retribution  was 
at  hand.  She  sat  down  beside  me  and  said 
with  pretty  thoughtfulness,  '  You  are  not 
well,  my  beautiful  cousin.  You  have  a 
headache  ?  You  don't  want  to  be  bothered 
with  me  now  ? ' 

"  '  You  never  bother  any  one,  Anne,'  I 
answered  ;  *  you  have  grown  to  be  the  sun- 
shine of  the  house.' 

16  229 


Mills  of  God 

"  '  I  am  going  to  tell  you  a  long  story,1 
she  went  on.  '  I  want  some  advice.  There  is 
no  one  for  me  to  come  to,  save  you.  There 
is  none  other  to  whom  I  would  rather 
come  than  you,  if  I  had  the  choice  of  the 
whole  world.  You  are — so  good — so  fine 
— so  true !  I  want  to  be  a  woman  just 
like  you  some  day,  Cousin  Elinor.'  She 
leaned  over  and  kissed  my  cheek,  and  I  put 
my  arm  around  her,  but  she  drew  away. 

" '  No,'  she  said,  '  I  want  to  tell  this 
story  out  bravely  ;  not  leaning  on  any 
one.'  A  flush  came  into  her  face  like  a 
carmine  rose.  '  It  is  of  my  Lord  Bedford 
I  am  going  to  speak.' 

"  'It  is  a  good  subject,  I  am  sure,'  I 
said,  and  I  forced  my  eyes  to  rest  in  hers 
for  a  second. 

"  '  It  was  not,'  she  went  on,   '  until  the 

night  of  the  dance  that  I  ever  thought  of 

him  much  ;  but  that  night  before  I  went  to 

sleep  I  remembered  his  eyes  as  they  looked 

230 


Mills  of  God 

when  he  bade  me  good-night.  There  was 
scarce  a  word  passed  between  us  after  that 
till  the  day  you  left  us.  I  had  been  prac- 
tising, when  he  suddenly  came  to  the  win- 
dow and  called  me  from  the  porch.  I 
smiled  and  shook  my  head.  Two  or  three 
minutes  later  he  came  to  the  inside  door. 
There  was  a  look  in  his  eyes,  a  masterful- 
ness in  his  manner,  which  I  had  never  be- 
fore seen.  With  a  certain  sureness  in  his 
smile  he  finally  broke  forth.  "  If  I  were 
to  tell  you  that  I  love  you,  Anne,  what 
would  you  say  ?  " 

" ' " '  Say ' ? "  I  responded.  "  I  should  say 
it  were  your  very  duty,  considering  what  a 
lovable  person  I  am."  I  had  no  thought 
but  that  he  was  jesting. 

"  '  "  Ah  !  you  have  been  much  spoiled. 
You  shall  be  disciplined.  It  is  I  that  shall 
be  the  instrument  in  the  hands  of  Provi- 
dence. I  have  come  to  take  you  for  a 
walk." 

231 


Mills  of  God 


" '  "  Ask  me  then,"  I  said,  "  politely,  with 
a  touch  of  ceremony,  and  as  if  you  thought 
I  might  refuse,  perhaps.  Then  I  may  go." 

" '  He  came  nearer  to  me  and  put  forth 
his  hand.  "  Come,"  he  said. 

"  '  In  that  one  word  the  change  for  all 
my  life  was  made.  I  put  down  my  violin 
and  went  with  him,  over  by  the  Sunset 
Rocks. 

"  '  There  was  that  haste  about  our  court- 
ship which  makes  me  wonder  sometimes 
that  I  could  have  yielded  so  easily.  In  a 
week's  time —  You  remember  the  great 
walnut-tree,  Cousin  Elinor  ? ' 

"  The  old  walnut-tree  !  Was  it  there  he 
told  his  love  ?  There,  where  he  kissed  me 
first,  and  life's  water  turned  to  wine  at  the 
miracle  of  the  touching  of  his  lips ! 

"  'The  old  one  by  the  brook  ?'  I  asked. 

"  '  Yes,  it  was  there.  Dear,  I  suppose 
no  woman  really  tells  what  a  man — the  man 
she  loves — says  to  her  then,  do  you  ?  But 
232 


Mills  of  God 

it  all  happened  there,  and  it  was  there 
he  told  me  the  story  of  his  life's  tragedy. 
It  is  of  that  I  wish  to  speak.  It  is  about 
that  I  must  be  advised.  I  am  not  yet  be- 
trothed to  Lord  Bedford.  I  have  not 
given  my  word,  for  there  is  another  wom- 
an who  must  be  considered.  I  had  felt 
that  there  was  a  great  sorrow  in  bis  life, 
and  before  he  asked  me  to  become  his  wife 
he  said  he  would  tell  me  of  it  and  let  me 
judge. 

" '  When  he  was  much,  much  younger — 
twenty-three  or  four — he  fell  in  love  with 
a  great  lady  who  was  married.  He  said  she 
was  of  royal  line  ;  that  she  was  most  beau- 
tiful, that  she  loved  him  in  return.  He 
went  away  from  England,  he  left  the  place, 
he  tried  hard  to  forget  her ;  but  once,  by 
some  ill  chance,  they  were  thrown  together 
(there  being  no  thought  between  them, 
save  that  each  should  forever  avoid  the 
other),  and — the  shame  of  it  hurts  all  there 
233 


Mills  of  God 

is  of  me — there  was  a  child  born  to  them. 
He  says,  still  says,  that  she  was  not  a  bad 
woman.  How  can  he  say  that?  Do  you 
see,  Cousin  Elinor  ? ' 

"  '  Anne,'  I  said,  laying  down  my  work 
and  taking  both  her  hands  in  mine,  '  if  the 
woman  had  never  loved  any  one  else  ;  if 
he  vowed  that,  as  God  judged  them,  they 
were  man  and  wife ;  if  all  the  compelling 
presence  which  he  has  he  brought  to  bear 
on  this  girl,  who  loved  him  so  that  life  was 
but  one  dark  shadow  without  the  sunshine 
of  his  smile — could  you  see  how  she  might 
have  yielded  to  him  without  being  really  a 
bad  woman  ? ' 

"  Anne  shook  her  head.  '  You  are  so 
good,  you  try  to  make  excuses  for  every- 
body ! '  she  returned.  '  I  can  not  see  how 
a  woman  who  loves  a  man  can  lower  him 
in  his  own  estimation.  She  was  another 
man's  wife.  She  had  taken  vows  which 
were  hers  to  fulfil.  She  had  no  choice. 
234 


Mills  of  God 

She  dragged  another  man's  honour  in  the 
dust.  Look  at  Lord  Bedford's  life  as  a  re- 
sult of  this  love  affair — no  acknowledged 
ties,  no  love.  Ah  !  The  barrenness  of 
that  I  feel  I  never  can  forgive.  She  was 
a  woman  simply  dominated  by  animal  pas- 
sions, as  a  woman  should  never  be.  I  am 
very  hard,  I  suppose,  but  I  feel ' — and  she 
reached  out  her  hand  and  laid  it  in  mine 
again — '  as  if  I  never  could  touch  a  woman 
like  that.' 

"  I  felt  the  shiver  in  my  body  which 
they  say  presageth  death,  but  said  no  more. 
I  knew  my  love  was  to  hers  as  the  sea  to 
a  river — yet  what  so  heavy  as  words  ? 

" '  He  has  fretted  under  this  tie  for  a 
number  of  years,'  she  continued.  '  He  has 
at  times  wished  to  free  himself ;  that  is 
no  doubt  the  reason  which  has  made  him 
live  so  much  out  of  England,  as  it  is  there 
she  lives.  He  told  me  all,  keeping  back 
only  names.  He  says  that  he  has  made 
235 


Mills  of  God 

vows  to  the  other  woman  which  it  will  be 
hard  to  break  ;  but  that  he  is  willing,  if  I 
think  it  best,  to  go  to  her  and  tell  her  all ; 
ask  for  his  freedom ;  speak  of  his  love 
for  me. 

"  '  I  have  come  to  you,  dear  cousin,  not 
only  because  I  love  you,  but  because  I 
believe  in  your  wisdom,  and  then,  too,  be- 
cause I  think  you  love  me  a  little,  to  ask 
you  what  you  think  wisest  for  us  to  do.' 

"  '  I  see  only  one  way.  If  he  has  ceased 
to  love  the  other  woman,  whatever  tie 
there  was  between  them  is  already  dis- 
solved. There  is  naught  for  her  to  do  but 
release  him.  It  is  the  spirit  that  holds,  not 
the  letter.  She  can  not  bind  him  to  her 
by  cold-grown  vows  when  his  love  for  her 
is  past.' 

"  '  You  think  it  right  ?  He  has  made 
promises,  too,  Cousin  Elinor.' 

" '  He  can  not  fulfil  them  if  he  loves 
another  woman.' 

236 


Mills  of  God 


"  '  Have  you  known  of  this  before  ? ' 
she  asked,  looking  searchingly  at  me  with 
those  clear  eyes  of  hers. 

"'Yes.' 

"  '  Is  it  known  generally  ?' 

"  '  No,  there  is,  besides  myself,  but  one 
other  this  side  of  the  Atlantic  who  knows 
of  it  all.' 

"  '  Do  you  know  her  ? ' 

"  '  I  have  seen  her.' 

"'She  is  beautiful?' 

"  '  She  has  been  called  so,  but  you  must 
remember  how  long  ago  this  was.  She  is 
old  enough  to  be  your  mother,  child.' 

" '  You  think,  then,  I  have  the  right  to 
accept  him  ? ' 

" '  Every  right.  I  believe — nay,  dear,  I 
know — I  know,  I  can  speak  for  her — the 
other  woman  would  wish  it  so.' 

"  '  May  I  kiss  you,  Cousin  Elinor  ?  Oh, 
do  you  know,'  she  said,  with  the  carmine 
roses  coming  back  to  her  cheeks,  'do  you 
237 


Mills  of  God 

know  what  it  is  to  love  as  I  do  ?  When 
nothing  in  life  seems  real  but  the  touch  of 
one  pair  of  hands,  the  look  of  one  pair  of 
eyes,  the  sound  of  one  voice,  when  there 
is  nothing — nothing  but  him  ?' 

"  I  turned  and  took  her  in  my  arms. 
'  I  have  known,  Anne,'  I  said,  '  believe  me, 
I  have  known.  It  is  that  which  makes 
life  beautiful.' 

"  We  kissed  each  other,  and  I  came  up 
here  to  be  alone.  To  be  alone — alone,  with 
every  fibre  of  my  being  quivering  with  a 
great  pain,  and  memories  that  will  not 
down.  Oh,  for  the  gift  of  a  large  forgetting  ! 

"  I  remember  our  first  meeting.  '  An 
I  dream  what  I  would,  I  pray  to  sleep  for- 
ever.' The  apple  orchard  !  The  time  we 
pretended  we  were  boy  and  girl ! 

" '  When  you  grow  up  I  am  to   marry 

you,  you  know,'  he  said,  sitting  above  me 

on  a  bough  of  an  apple-tree,  which  was  all 

in  bloom,  'and  hurry  up,  because  I  can  not 

238 


Mills  of  God 

wait  long.'  And  the  two  miserable  years 
of  separation,  and  the  time  we  met  again 
at  the  Stanley-Masons — O  God !  God ! 
God  !  if  you  see,  if  you  can  hear  me,  give 
me  back  just  three  days  of  my  life — just 
three  mad,  headlong,  passionate  days ! 

"  I  remember  one  night  when  he  came 
to  my  room.  I  was  waiting  for  him.  I 
wore  a  rose-coloured  dressing-gown,  which 
he  had  admired,  and  was  standing  by  the 
west  window. 

" '  Come  over  here,'  he  said,  as  he 
seated  himself  in  the  big  chair  by  the  fire. 
'  Come  over  here.  I  am  your  tyrant,  your 
king.  Take  down  your  hair.' 

"  I  unbound  my  hair.  '  Kneel  to  me  ; 
turn  your  face  up  toward  mine.  I  do  not 
like  that  thing  up  around  your  throat — 
undo  it — so.  You  love  me  ?  There  is  no 
other  thought  in  life,  no  other  memory, 
you  see  no  other  man  with  those  soft  eyes  ? 
There  is  not  in  your  heart  one  beat  for  any 
239 


Mills  of  God 

soul  that  liveth,  save  for  me  ?     I  am — all — 
all?     Tell  me  so!' 

"  I  have  tried  to  be  so  good,  but  I  see 
now  it  was  not  real.  There  was  always  the 
hope  that  some  day  I  should  have  the  re- 
ward of  being  really  his  wife.  I  think  this 
news  has  driven  me  a  bit  daft.  The  past 
whirls  through  my  brain  and  I  must  forget ; 
must  have  the  courage  to  face  the  world 
with.  I  lived  when  I  believed  him  dead. 
I  will  try  to  think  of  him  again  that  way." 

That  same  afternoon,  during  which  Miss 
Anne  had  told  her  story,  she  set  forth  on 
horseback.  When  she  returned  Lord  Bed- 
ford was  riding  beside  her,  and  after  they 
had  dismounted  they  stood  talking  together 
on  the  steps,  with  the  moon  shining  full 
upon  them  both. 

"When  is  it  to  be?"  he  asked. 

"When  do  you  want  it?"  Miss  Anne 
inquired. 

240 


Mills  of  God 

"  When  do  I  want  it  ?  Now.  To- 
night. This  minute.  I  want  you,  Anne  !  " 

"As  you  make  the  observe  yourself 
sometimes,  Lord  Bedford,  '  It  will  fall  as  it 
will  fall.'  Good-night." 

"  Kiss  me,  Anne." 

She  leaned  toward  him  as  though  to 
comply,  and  then,  suddenly  throwing  back 
her  head,  she  laughed  and  said,  "  It  is  a 
good  thing  for  you  to  go  a-wanting  some- 
times, my  lord,"  with  which  sage  remark 
she  turned  and  left  him.  It  is  thus  she 
has  held  him  ever  since. 

There  is  an  interval  of  four  days  before 
my  lady  wrote  again  in  the  journal.  The 
third  day  after  this  talk  with  Miss  Anne 
she  had  an  interview  with  Lord  Bedford, 
with  whom  she  had  communicated. 

"  I  am  too  proud  to  show  much  feeling 
to  any  one  on  the  subject  of  an  unrequited 
affection,  and  it  was  this  pride  that  gave 
241 


Mills  of  God 

me  a  kind  of  fortitude  throughout  the  in- 
terview. Lord  Bedford  came  to  see  me,  at 
my  own  request,  in  the  library.  He  was 
pale  and  his  eyes  were  lighter  and  less 
direct  in  their  glance  than  usual.  I  smiled 
at  him  as  we  took  each  other's  hands. 

" '  Be  seated,'  I  said.  '  You  are  un- 
happy, you  are  ill  at  ease,  believe  me,  need- 
lessly. I  shall — ah,  I  hope  you  know  me 
well  enough  to  feel  that  I  shall  not  do  as 
other  women  might.  I  see  the  inevitable- 
ness  of  it  all.  I  have  not  changed.  There 
is  not  that  in  my  nature,  I  hope,  which 
would  make  such  a  change  possible.  I 
loved,  love,  shall  always  love  you.  I  want 
you  to  know  this  ;  there  is  no  excuse  for 
me  otherwise.  Will  you  believe  me  when 
I  say,  however,  that  I  am  glad  for  your 
new  happiness — that  the  new  chance  in 
your  life  brings  a  finer  sort  of  pleasure  to 
my  soul  than  I  could  have  believed  myself 
capable  of  ?  There  need  be  no  unnecessary 
242 


Mills  of  God 

words  between  us.  If  there  be  any  for- 
giveness from  one  to  another,  let  us  say  it 
is  freely  granted,  and  so — good-bye.' 

" '  George,'  Lord  Bedford  began,  and  I 
knew  before  he  spoke  the  word  it  was  of 
him  he  had  been  thinking. 

"  '  As  for  my  son  George,  he  will  have 
my  own  private  fortune,  as  well  as  my 
mother's,  which  is  large,  besides  the  other 
(I  could  not  mention  Sir  William's  name 
then),  and  of  him  there  is  little  to  worry. 
He  will  have  plenty  of  this  world's  gear, 
and  I  have  tried,  in  spite  of  his  parentage, 
to  make  a  gentleman  of  him.' 

"  I  wish  more  than  language  can  tell 
that  I  had  not  said  that.  It  seemed  so 
weak,  so  futile,  so  womanish,  so  much  as  I 
would  not  be ;  but,  after  all,  it  was  as  hard 
on  me  as  on  him. 

" '  And  so,'  I  said,  '  my  lord,  in  the 
words  of  the  old  song,  "We  have  no  part- 
ing words  to  say,  so  part  we  with  a  smile." ' 
243 


Mills  of  God 

I  put  out  my  hand,  he  took  it  in  his. 
Twice  he  essayed  to  speak,  then  suddenly 
stooped  and  kissed  it,  and  so  all  was  over." 

The  blood  in  all  of  me  boils  as  I  set 
this  down.  Was  there  nothing  in  this 
man's  nature  to  respond  to  the  heights  in 
that  of  the  woman  he  was  thus  surren- 
dering ? 


244 


CHAPTER   XVI 

THE  strain  of  the  time  was  such  as 
could  scarce  be  borne.  Of  all  the  happen- 
ings which  have  since  been  made  clear  to 
me,  I,  of  course,  was  then  in  ignorance. 
At  the  time  Lady  Elinor  told  me  of 
Miss  Anne's  betrothal  there  was  no  slight- 
est gesture,  no  spoken  words  from  her, 
other  than  pleasurable,  to  betray  the  news. 
When  I  think  of  that  superb  courage  I  am 
glad  to  remember  that  I  have  never  spoken 
Elinor  Grafton's  name  with  my  hat  upon 
my  head. 

The  fear  of  pain  for  George  was  the 
thing  which  was  big  in   her  heart.     "  He 
has   but  set  his  fancy  upon  her.     It  is  a 
thing  which  will  pass,"  I  said. 
'?  245 


Mills  of  God 

"  I  doubt  it  much.  She  is  his  first  love. 
It  will  go  sore  with  him,"  she  returned. 

When  I  remembered  his  eyes  the  morn- 
ing I  made  mention  of  the  possibility  of 
such  a  marriage  taking  place,  I,  too,  had 
my  fears,  but  of  another  sort.  From  the 
day  of  his  birth  he  had  been  crossed  in 
nothing,  and  I  feared  me  much  that  royal 
morals  and  royal  madness  were  both  his  by 
right  of  birth. 

It  was  his  mother  who  broke  the  news 
to  him  in  his  own  dressing-room  before 
dinner.  I  saw  her  leave  the  room,  pale  but 
quiet,  and  thought  that  perchance  his  being 
crossed  in  this  thing  was  a  less  serious  mat- 
ter than  we  feared ;  and  at  the  dinner, 
which  had  in  a  way  the  air  of  a  betrothal 
feast,  Master  George  was  easy  in  manner, 
gay  even  to  boisterousness  (a  thing  I  never 
saw  in  him  before),  and  carried  the  affair 
off  with  a  high  hand  and  something  of  his 
mother's  spirit. 

246 


Mills  of  God 

It  was  about  three  o'clock  of  the  same 
morning  that  I  heard  first  a  scream,  then 
hurried  footsteps,  and,  finally,  a  heavy 
knocking  at  my  own  door.  Opening  it 
hastily,  I  found  my  lady  standing,  trem- 
bling, before  me. 

"  The  house  has  been  robbed,"  she 
said.  "Anne  is  badly  injured,  and  George 
can  not  be  found.  O  Robin,  do  you 
think " 

She  said  no  more,  for  with  that  she 
dropped,  all  insensible,  at  my  feet.  There 
were  no  lights  in  the  halls ;  I  could  hear 
shriekings  from  the  other  corridor,  but  no 
one  was  yet  visible.  Lifting  Lady  Elinor, 
I  carried  her  to  her  own  room  and  laid 
her  on  the  bed,  which  I  noticed  had  not 
been  disarranged.  Before  calling  any  one 
I  crossed  the  hall  to  Master  George's 
rooms.  There  was  a  night  lamp  burning, 
the  window  which  led  to  the  second 
piazza,  which  ran  around  the  house,  was 
247 


Mills  of  God 

open,  and  the  curtains  were  blowing  far 
into  the  room.  I  stood  still  in  the  mid- 
dle of  the  room  and  looked  carefully  at 
every  object  in  it.  The  bed  had  been 
made  ready  for  the  night,  but  had  not 
been  slept  upon.  It  was  easy  enough  to 
pull  the  clothes  as  though  some  encounter 
had  taken  place.  In  the  alcove  I  stood 
again  and  looked.  Here  I  found  the 
drawer  of  an  Indian  cabinet  slightly  open. 
I  knew  what  it  had  contained,  and  softly 
pushed  it  in  without  further  investigation, 
for  by  this  time  the  household  was  all  astir. 
There  were  lights  being  carried  to  and  fro, 
and  the  noise  of  hurried  footsteps. 

Crossing  to  the  ell  of  the  house,  I 
found  Consuelo  and  some  of  the  maids 
huddled  together  at  Miss  Anne's  door, 
through  which  came  the  most  harrowing 
shrieks  of  pain.  Entering,  I  found  Miss 
Anne  lying  on  the  bed,  the  pillows  of 
which,  as  well  as  the  sheets,  were  stained 
248 


Mills  of  God 

with  blood.  She  was  a  horrible  greenish 
white,  save  about  the  lips  and  nostrils, 
which  were  turned  very  dark.  On  the 
upper  part  of  her  left  shoulder  I  found  a 
triangular  stab,  not  larger  than  half  an 
inch  each  way.  Here  it  was  that  my 
worst  suspicions  were  realized.  It  was  a 
grim,  unchancy  kind  of  thing,  that  the 
dagger,  which  in  all  probability  made  the 
wound,  was  a  poisoned  one  which  Henry 
Bedford  had  brought  as  a  present  to 
George  the  last  time  he  returned  to 
America. 

Despatching  messengers  for  Dr.  Prout, 
sending  for  Madame  Dulany,  and  trying  to 
get  the  blacks,  whose  minds  were  perfectly 
dishevelled  by  the  catastrophe,  into  some 
sort  of  coherent  conduct,  filled  in  the  time 
until  Lady  Elinor  came  to  the  door.  Sir 
William  was  in  such  a  condition  that  any 
sudden  shock  might  be  fatal  to  him,  and 
the  entire  lonesomeness  of  this  woman 
.  249 


Mills  of  God 

overcame  me  so  that  tears  fell  from  my 
eyes  and  my  face  worked  as  I  saw  her 
enter. 

By  morning  the  whole  place  was  in 
a  paroxysm  of  confusion.  The  wildest 
stories  were  afloat.  A  band  of  despera- 
does, it  was  said,  had  broken  into  the 
house,  Sir  William  and  Lady  Elinor  had 
been  killed  and  Mr.  George  kidnapped, 
my  lady's  jewels  had  been  stolen,  and  the 
family  plate  was  missing. 

There  had  been  several  robberies  in 
the  neighbourhood  around  us,  and  the  un- 
settled condition  of  the  country  in  itself 
was  sufficient  reason  for  the  forming  of  a 
local  militia  which  was  paid  by  the  richer 
planters  of  the  community.  At  its  head 
was  Captain  Godwin,  a  man  held  in  much 
esteem  by  reason  of  his  services  to  the 
States  in  the  War  of  1812.  So  fast  does 
rumour  cover  the  country-side  that  by  seven 
the  following  morning  a  squad  of  these  sol- 
250 


Mills  of  God 

diers  had  been  sent  from  Haddon's  Cross 
Roads,  and  were  stationed  as  guards  all 
over  the  place,  even  to  the  river  bank. 

With  most  diligent  search,  however, 
there  was  no  trace  of  Master  George, 
and  though  I  did  all  in  my  power  to 
give  the  impression  that  the  robbers  had 
some  hand  in  his  continued  absence,  I 
knew  by  that  night  my  efforts  had  been 
unavailing,  and  that  the  general  suspicion 
for  the  murder,  if  murder  it  turned  out  to 
be,  had  fallen  on  him.  Moreover,  I  had 
found  Consuelo  talking  at  the  old  wall 
by  the  rose  garden  with  the  captain  of 
the  guard,  and  could  not  but  think  that 
she  had  told  him  some  things  which  she 
had  not  found  courage  to  tell  us. 

It  was  of  this  captain  of  the  guard  that 
I  had  my  main  fear.  The  men  under  him 
were  young,  impressionable,  and  bitterly 
poor,  so  that  I  felt  that  the  management 
of  them  would  be  largely  a  question  of 
251 


Mills  of  God 

guineas,  but  the  captain  was  of  a  differ- 
ent build.  He  was  a  very  small  man,  be- 
ing something  under  five  feet  and  a  half 
in  height,  and  little  through,  but  he  had 
that  kind  of  courage  which  the  Almighty 
plants  in  the  breasts  of  very  little  men. 
His  face  was  seamed  and  lined  and  badly 
sunburned,  and  he  wore  a  fierce,  large 
mustache,  which  he  stood  ever  pulling 
the  end  of,  as  he  kept  watch  over  the 
grounds,  throwing  a  glance  now  and  then 
up  at  the  windows  of  the  house.  His  eyes 
were  very  bright  and  of  a  light  colour,  but 
it  was  the  peculiar  shape  of  his  head  that 
gave  me  the  worry  of  him  as  a  man  to 
manage,  for  it  had  the  straight,  high  fore- 
head and  the  full  curve  of  those  men 
who  have  reverence  and  self-esteem,  and 
the  narrowness  through  the  temples  of  the 
ones  who  have  a  rigid  sense  of  devotion 
to  a  conventional  idea  of  duty. 

It  was  toward  me  that  the  man's  main 
252 


Mills  of  God 

suspicion  of  knowing  the  whereabouts  of 
Master  George  turned,  and  before  long  I 
could  not  stir  from  the  house  without  run- 
ning across  him,  or,  on  looking  up,  would 
find  him  following  me,  apparently  intent 
on  nothing  but  the  sky  and  fields.  I  had, 
however,  the  courage  of  complete  inno- 
cence, and  so  would  always  speak  to  him 
cheerily  and  as  a  person  who  has  naught 
to  conceal.  For  three  days  things  went 
thus.  There  was  but  little  change  in  Miss 
Anne's  condition,  and,  although  the  fever 
had  abated  and  the  wound  was  healing,  she 
lay  unconscious,  with  a  faint  heart-beat  and 
a  greenish  colour  of  the  skin  frightful  to 
behold. 

Sir  William  was  still  in  entire  ignorance 
of  all  that  had  happened,  his  rooms  having 
been  searched  while  he  was  in  a  sleep  in- 
duced by  an  opiate,  which  was  given  at 
intervals  to  reduce  the  pain.  Lady  Eli- 
nor went  about  the  house  as  usual,  a  lit- 
253 


Mills  of  God 

tie  paler  but  with  only  a  more  resolute 
manner,  and  the  line  of  the  mouth  a  little 
drawn,  fine  in  her  silence  and  self-con- 
tainment. 

It  was  on  the  morning  of  the  fourth 
day  that  some  one  brought  word  to  her 
that  Uncle  Abednego,  a  negro  to  whom 
Madame  Dulany  had  given  his  freedom 
and  several  acres  of  tobacco  land  by 
Buler's  Creek,  was  in  the  servants'  quar- 
ters to  pay  his  monthly  visit  to  her.  She 
arose  from  the  library  without  a  word, 
and,  the  incident  being  a  usual  one,  I 
thought  nothing  of  it.  A  few  minutes 
later  I  saw  the  captain  of  the  guard  walk- 
ing leisurely  toward  the  kitchen  grounds, 
his  eyes  fixed  absently  on  the  landscape, 
still  stroking  his  huge  mustache.  It  was 
not  above  twenty  minutes  from  the  time 
she  left  that  my  lady  returned  with  Uncle 
Abe  and  the  captain  himself.  "We  have 
had  some  important  information,  Mr.  Kill- 
254 


Mills  of  God 

duff,  and  the  captain  wishes  to  have  a  talk 
with  you  about  it,"  she  said  to  me. 

Uncle  Abe's  story — for  it  was  he  who 
had  brought  the  news — was  very  brief.  It 
was  to  the  effect  (and  the  truth  of  it  at 
the  time  I  never  doubted)  that,  about  four 
o'clock  on  the  morning  of  the  attack,  five 
men  had  passed  his  home  on  the  creek  in  a 
boat ;  that  three  of  them  were  sailor  men  ; 
that  the  one  who  sat  in  the  stern  he  saw 
plainly.  He  described  him  as  a  man  whose 
right  eye  was  disfigured  by  a  scar  which  ran 
around  his  temple  and  up  to  his  hair.  His 
eyes  were  peculiarly  dark  and  dreadful,  and 
he  had  seemed  by  his  manner,  as  well  as 
the  few  spoken  words  which  were  heard,  to 
be  the  one  in  authority.  The  fifth  person 
sat  in  the  bow  wrapped  in  a  dark  cloak  and 
seemed  to  be  a  passenger.  Uncle  Abe  had 
watched  the  boat  out  of  sight,  and  the  next 
day  had  heard  that  the  big  sailing  vessel, 
which  had  been  lying  for  several  days  at 
255 


Mills  of  God 

the  mouth  of  the  harbour,  had  weighed 
anchor,  hoisted  sail,  and  made  off  at  a  mo- 
ment's notice.  The  name  of  this  vessel 
was  The  Virgin  Queen. 

I  confess  I  was  entirely  nonplussed  at 
the  news.  That  Mr.  George  should  have 
been  kidnapped  in  this  high-handed  fashion 
seemed  to  me  both  reasonless  and  impos- 
sible, but  the  African's  composure  and  se- 
renity as  he  told  the  story  left  little  room 
for  doubt.  What  Captain  Godwin  thought 
was  known  only  to  himself,  and  perhaps 
the  lieutenant  under  him,  with  whom  I  saw 
him  in  speech  soon  afterward. 

All  that  afternoon  Abednego  lay  on  the 
top  of  the  broad  south  wall,  lazy  and  im- 
pressive, with  the  unemployed  ones  of  his 
own  colour  gathered  around,  listening  to 
his  long  stories  with  the  pleased  counte- 
nances of  children,  and  it  was  not  until 
dusk  that,  carrying  his  basket  of  presents, 
he  was  ready  to  start  for  his  home  on 
256 


Mills  of  God 

Buler's  Creek.  It  was  a  long  tramp 
through  the  woods,  but  he  knew  every 
inch  of  the  way,  and,  dark  or  light,  I 
suppose  it  made  little  differ  to  him.  Just 
as  he  passed  beyond  the  park  gates  I  saw 
the  captain  padding  along  like  a  cat,  not 
fifty  feet  behind  him. 

At  dinner  Lady  Elinor  suggested  that 
the  captain  be  asked  in  to  dine  with  us,  the 
utmost  being  done  by  us  to  present  a 
friendly  front  to  him  and  his  soldiers ;  but, 
upon  the  invitation  being  extended,  word 
was  brought  that  the  captain  had  gone 
for  a  walk  and  was  not  yet  returned.  I 
thought  my  lady's  face  paled  at  this  news, 
but  it  was  only  for  a  moment,  and  she  re- 
gained her  usual  composure  immediately. 

It  was  my  night  to  watch  with  Sir  Wil- 
liam, and,  as  Lady  Elinor  and  I  were  left 
together  with  him,  she  motioned  me  to  fol- 
low her  to  the  dressing-room,  and  I  obeyed. 
Closing  the  door  behind  us  very  carefully, 
257 


Mills  of  God 

she  said  hurriedly  :  "  George  is  at  Uncle 
Abednego's.  He  was  found  wandering 
around  the  woods,  insane  in  his  talk,  cov- 
ered with  blood  and  badly  wounded,  three 
days  ago.  He  is  hidden  somewhere  in  a 
place  which  Uncle  Abe  considers  safe  for 
the  present,  but  he  is  very  ill.  Can  you  go 
to  him  to-night?  Will  it  be  safe  ?  If  you 
think  so,  Aunt  Chloe  will  be  waiting  for 
you  by  the  swinging  tree  at  one  o'clock." 

She  was  so  wild  with  anxiety  that  I 
feared  to  tell  her  of  the  danger  such  a  visit 
might  bring.  There  was  the  risk  of  run- 
ning on  some  of  the  guard,  who  already 
looked  on  the  family  with  suspicion,  or  of 
meeting  the  captain  himself.  I  concluded, 
therefore,  to  temporize. 

"  You  might  give  me  a  little  while  to 
think  it  all  over,"  I  said.  "  It  is  no  time 
for  us  to  be  making  mistakes.  If  we  ever 
needed  to  use  our  heads,  it  is  certain  that  we 
need  to  use  all  that  there  is  of  them  now." 
258 


CHAPTER   XVII 

IN  the  end  I  concluded  it  better  to  run 
the  risk  and  go  than  to  brook  further  delay, 
which  might  not  only  end  in  the  loss  of 
Master  George's  life  from  lack  of  proper 
attendance,  but  would  run  more  chance  of 
his  presence  becoming  known  every  day 
that  he  remained.  I  took  what  simple 
remedies  I  could  and  five  bright  gold 
guineas,  knowing  that  a  little  money  fre- 
quently adds  zeal  to  attendance ;  it  was  my 
lady  herself  who  brought  me  the  antidote 
which  Dr.  Prout  had  used  on  Miss  Anne. 

"  I  think,"  she  said,  "  if  one  can  trust  an 

instinct,  that  the  unhappy  boy  decided  to 

end  both  their  lives  at  once ;  that  he  has 

probably  injured  himself,  believing,  as  we 

259 


Mills  of  God 

all  did,  that  the  poison  would  produce  in- 
stant death.  This  has  helped  her — it  may 
help  him — please  God  !  " 

I  left  her  standing  outside  of  Sir  Wil- 
liam's door  with  her  whole  frame  shaken 
by  sobs,  and  fared  forth  into  the  night. 

It  was  both  moonless  and  cloudy,  with 
rain-bringing  wind  scurrying  through  the 
little  new  leaves.  I  went  out  by  the  car- 
riage entrance  and  close  along  under  the 
lilac-bushes  until  I  came  under  the  trees. 
There  was  no  one  stirring,  and,  as  I  neared 
the  swinging  tree,  I  went  quickly  forward, 
my  heart  beating  in  my  throat,  my  ears 
alert  for  some  new  danger.  There  was 
none,  however,  and  I  found  Aunt  Chloe 
squatted,  like  some  grim  fate,  under  the 
tree,  expecting  me.  She  spoke  no  word, 
but  together  we  plunged  into  the  thicket 
along  the  banks  of  the  creek.  It  was  a 
brisk  walk,  and  many  times  I  stumbled 
over  concealed  roots  and  runners,  my  feet 
260 


Mills  of  God 

having  none  of  the  dexterity  of  hers,  but 
finally,  by  a  swift  detour,  we  turned  into 
the  back  of  the  little  cabin. 

"  Wait  a  minute,"  she  commanded 
briefly,  in  a  little  while  reappearing  with 
Uncle  Abe,  and  the  three  of  us  set  forth 
again.  By  what  circuitous  path  we  came 
eventually  to  our  destination  I  can  never 
tell.  It  seemed  to  be  either  directly  up 
some  steep  inclines  or  else  down  sheer  gul- 
lies, all  of  this  travelling  being  done  in  the 
blackness  of  the  middle  of  the  night,  and 
with  great  speed,  so  that  it  seemed  as  the 
happenings  of  a  dream.  Suddenly  Uncle 
Abe  stopped,  and  listened  attentively,  with 
his  hand  to  his  ear,  and  then  we  saw  him 
huddle  down  with  his  ear  against  the 
ground.  Making  a  motion  to  Aunt  Chloe 
to  proceed  and  for  me  to  follow  her,  he 
crouched  like  a  cat  on  the  earth.  I  turned 
to  do  as  he  bade,  when,  like  lightning,  with 
the  same  quick,  upward  spring  that  a  pan- 
18  261 


Mills  of  God 

ther  makes  with  its  hind  quarters,  I  saw 
Uncle  Abe  leap  into  the  thicket,  heard  a 
fall,  and  a  little  later  saw  him  reappear 
leading  some  one  beside  him.  It  was  the 
captain  of  the  guard. 

Knowing  that  Uncle  Abe  could  more 
than  attend  to  him,  Aunt  Chloe  and  I 
resumed  our  journey.  It  was  not  much 
farther,  however,  before  we  came  to  what 
seemed  like  a  straight  wall  of  rock  covered 
with  thick  Virginia  creeper.  Putting  the 
swinging  tendrils  aside,  it  proved  to  be 
nothing  more  than  a  hanging  curtain  of 
green  which  covered  the  mouth  of  a  cave 
about  twelve  feet  square.  Of  its  depth 
into  the  hillside  I  could,  of  course,  gain  no 
knowledge  at  that  time. 

There  was  a  table  with  a  candle  flick- 
ering on  it,  beside  which,  sound  asleep,  sat 
Aunt  Chloe's  eldest  girl.  She  raised  her 
head  and  rubbed  her  eyes  in  a  dazed  way 
as  we  came  in.  On  a  pallet  at  some  little 
262 


Mills  of  God 

distance  lay  Master  George.  Even  then 
I  was  touched  by  the  rude  efforts  which 
these  black  people  had  made  to  show  their 
love  and  devotion  to  the  family.  Every- 
thing had  been  done  to  render  him  as  com- 
fortable as  the  place  would  admit.  There 
was  a  soft  feather  pillow  under  his  head, 
and  warm  coverings  were  over  him.  His 
face  had  scarce  more  colour  than  the  white 
against  which  it  lay,  and  there  was  the 
same  shuddering  through  the  limbs  that 
was  noticeable  in  Miss  Anne. 

I  examined  his  wound,  which  was  in 
the  left  side,  aimed  with  an  entirely  igno- 
rant hand  at  the  heart,  and  found  it  to  be 
the  shape  I  had  expected,  and  that  Lady 
Elinor's  surmise  was  evidently  entirely  cor- 
rect. In  Master  George's  coat  I  found  the 
dagger,  which  he  had  seemed  senselessly  to 
wish  to  keep,  as  it  had  been  placed  in  the  in- 
ner pocket.  It  was  a  horrid-looking  weapon, 
with  a  carving  of  the  God  of  Death  and 
263 


Mills  of  God 

a  curious  gully  on  the  under  side  of  the 
handle.  Uncle  Abe  stood  beside  me  in 
the  candle-light  as  I  examined  it.  Sud- 
denly, with  a  cry  of  joy,  he  snatched  the 
weapon  from  my  hand,  whipped  a  knife 
out  of  his  pocket,  and  began  running  the 
point  of  the  blade  up  and  down  the  handle. 
His  movements  were  pregnant  with  such 
big  results  that  I  found  myself  breathing 
unsteadily  as  I  watched  him.  I  saw  him 
give  a  hard  pressure  on  some  certain  point, 
and,  with  a  clicking  noise,  an  aperture  con- 
taining a  small  phial  was  disclosed. 

He  told  me  that  the  custom  of  placing 
an  antidote  in  the  handle  of  poisoned 
weapons  was  a  very  common  one  in  his 
own  country,  and  his  faith  in  it  was  so 
entire  that  we  began  giving  Master  George 
a  drop  at  a  time  of  the  liquid  which  the 
phial  contained,  watching  the  results  with 
passionate  intensity.  There  came  almost 
immediately  a  great  quieting  of  the  pa- 
264 


Mills  of  God 

tient ;  the  writhing  in  the  limbs  ceased ; 
the  cries  became  less  frequent  and  more 
intelligent. 

Having  made  what  further  arrange- 
ments I  could  for  Master  George's  com- 
fort, my  thoughts  turned  toward  the  dis- 
position of  the  captain.  It  was  manifestly 
impossible  to  give  him  his  freedom,  and 
yet  his  retention  might  bring  such  a  hue 
and  cry  about  our  ears  as  to  further  injure 
any  hope  which  we  might  have  of  hushing 
the  whole  matter  up.  In  this  situation 
I  decided  on  a  curious  plan,  which  was 
to  consult  the  captain  himself.  From  the 
moment  of  meeting  him  I  liked  him  fine, 
personally,  and  believed  him  to  be  a  man 
who  would  do  his  entire  duty  unflinch- 
ingly, but  who  could  ever  be  trusted  as  a 
gentleman. 

The  interview  was  a  strangely  assorted 
one,  for  Uncle  Abe  had  bound  him  so 
tightly  round  and  round  with  ropes  that 
265 


Mills  of  God 

he  looked  like  a  strawed  demijohn  as  he 
was  brought  into  the  cave.  Our  talk  was 
perfectly  frank  and  dignified.  On  my  side, 
I  stated  the  necessity,  as  well  as  the  regret, 
of  the  fact  of  our  being  forced  to  retain 
him  as  a  prisoner.  On  his  side  he  showed 
neither  irritation  nor  excitement  at  the 
prospect  of  being  held,  but  said  it  was 
part  of  his  profession  to  be  prepared  for 
surprises ;  on  liquor  being  produced,  he 
drank  to  our  further  acquaintance,  and 
apologized,  with  a  smile,  for  the  awkward 
way  in  which  he  was  obliged  to  pledge 
me,  explaining,  humorously,  that  his  move- 
ments were  naturally  a  bit  hampered  under 
the  circumstances. 

Giving  some  further  directions  to  Uncle 
Abe  about  the  way  in  which  to  communi- 
cate with  me,  I  set  forth  again  under  the 
guidance  of  Aunt  Chloe.  To  her  I  gave 
the  gold  pieces  I  had  brought,  telling  her 
there  was  a  little  fortune  awaiting  them 
266 


Mills  of  God 

if  Master  George  was  able  to  leave  the 
country  unmolested.  The  majesty  of  the 
law  was  but  a  vague  image  in  her  black 
breast,  and  the  presence  of  the  gold  was 
immediate,  so  that  I  had  little  fear  but 
that  she  would  do  everything  her  intelli- 
gence would  allow  to  further  our  ends. 

With  the  new  medicine  in  my  hands 
I  hurried  back  to  Deepdeen.  It  was  near- 
ing  the  dawn.  A  few  streaks  of  gray  were 
visible  in  the  east  as  I  drew  near  to  the 
house,  into  which  I  had  no  sooner  entered 
than  I  became  conscious  that  some  new 
calamity  had  happened.  There  was  a  hur- 
ried running  to  and  fro  of  the  awakened 
servants  which  seemed  to  be  purposeless, 
while  from  the  landing  above  there  issued 
forth  the  most  horrid  cries  and  groans. 
I  dashed  up  the  steps,  three  at  a  time,  to 
find  Consuelo  shrieking  and  rolling  on  the 
floor.  In  Miss  Anne's  door  was  Madame 
Dulany,  and  inside  the  room  stood  Lord 
267 


Mills  of  God 

Harry  and  Lady  Elinor,  one  on  each  side 
of  the  bed,  trying  to  stop  the  poor  girl's 
tearing  at  herself  in  a  frenzy  which  was 
horrible  to  see.  Lady  Elinor's  eyes  sought 
mine  with  frank  relief  at  my  bare  presence, 
and,  by  some  quicker  method  of  commu- 
nication than  speech,  I  made  known  the 
new  medicine,  which  we  began  adminis- 
tering immediately.  While  the  effect  was 
not  so  marked  as  in  the  case  of  Master 
George,  the  patient  began  to  quiet  down, 
and  by  six  of  the  morning  she  looked 
around  with  almost  a  rational  glance  at 
us  in  the  room,  before  dozing  off  to  sleep 
again. 


268 


CHAPTER  XVIII 

I  WAS  so  wrought  upon  by  the  night's 
work  and  my  worry  as  to  the  coming  dis- 
position of  affairs  that  sleep  was  impossible, 
and  I  went  forth  into  the  open,  harassed, 
and  with  a  dumb  anger  in  my  heart  for  the 
suffering  to  which  my  lady  was  being 
forced.  The  day  was  but  new  come.  The 
fields  were  full  of  blown  daisies,  the  black- 
birds were  singing  in  the  lilacs,  and  the 
smell  of  the  growing  things  brought  a  kind 
of  calmness  to  my  soul. 

The  soldiers  were  all  about  still.  I 
could  see  the  blue  of  their  coats  as  they 
moved  to  and  fro  on  the  river  bank,  and 
the  gleam  of  their  stacked  arms  glinting  in 
the  sunlight.  Finally,  the  fatigue  of  the 
269 


Mills  of  Cod 

night  overcame  me,  and  I  fell  into  a  deep 
sleep  on  the  old  bench  beside  the  laurel 
hedge,  from  which  I  was  awakened  by 
voices — the  voices  of  Lady  Elinor  and  Lord 
Bedford. 

It  was  a  main  bad  time  to  approach 
Lord  Bedford  about  anything,  his  nerves 
having  been  on  the  rack  all  night  by  his 
fear  of  Miss  Anne's  imminent  death,  and 
his  own  long  stretch  of  anxiety ;  but 
naught  under  God's  fair  sun  could  excuse 
the  talk  I  here  set  below. 

"  You  think  it  was  George  who " 

my  lady's  voice  broke,  and  she  waited  for 
her  unfinished  question  to  be  answered. 

"  I  have  as  little  doubt  of  it  as  you  have 
yourself,"  came  the  answer  from  Lord  Bed- 
ford's lips,  in  a  voice  as  cold  as  steel. 

"  Do  the  people,  the  authorities,  sus- 
pect?" 

"  I  think  so.     I  know  the  captain  of 
the  guard  believes  him  guilty." 
270 


Mills  of  God 

"  You  will  do  what  you  can  to  help  us 
— will  you  not  ?  He  must  be  sent  to  Eng- 
land. He  must,  when  he  is  found,  be  got 
out  of  the  country." 

"When  I  think  of  her,  I  feel  little 
leniency  toward  George  Grafton,"  Lord 
Bedford  responded  in  a  harsh  voice. 

"My  lord,"  Lady  Elinor's  voice  rang 
clear  and  low,  "  between  us,  here  in  the 
face  of  this  great  sorrow,  let  the  name  of 
Grafton  be  unspoken.  He  is  your  child. 
The  lawless  heredity  which  we  gave  him, 
which  in  both  our  families  goes  back  for 
more  than  one  generation,  has  culminated 
in  him.  I  have  stood  much  at  your  hands ; 
this  thing  I  will  not  stand.  It  is  we  who 
have  murdered,  if  murder  be  done — you 
and  I,  my  Lord  Bedford.  As  he  is,  we 
made  him." 

"We  have  a  precious  thing,  then,  for 
which  to  thank  ourselves,  for  a  worse  man 
than  George,  for  his  years,  I  have  yet  to 
271 


Mills  of  God 

meet.  I  do  assure  you  that  if  he  is  not 
hanged  for  this,  there  are  many  other  things 
he  deserves  it  for." 

"  What  say  you  —  is  it  of  George 
you  speak  ? "  I  heard  my  lady  ask  in 
indignation.  "  A  better  boy  no  mother 
ever  had." 

"Good  God,  Elinor!"  Lord  Bedford 
burst  forth  impatiently,  "  it's  all  very  well 
to  pretend  before  the  world  that  you  don't 
know.  There  have  been  times  when  I 
have  admired  your  dissimulation  about  the 
matter.  Between  us,  however,  the  thing  is 
a  bit  unnecessary.  George  has  already  a 
past,  where  women  are  concerned,  which  I, 
at.  my  age,  would  be  ashamed  of.  At  least 
three  children  within  a  stone's  throw  of 
your  door  are  your  own  grandchildren. 
This  affair  of  Caddie  Brown " 

"Caddie  Brown  ?"  I  heard  my  lady  re- 
peat, in  a  voice  of  piteous  humility — "  Cad- 
die Brown  ? " 

272 


Mills  of  God 

"  Yes,  Caddie  Brown.  In  that  affair  he 
behaved  like  a  cur." 

"  Listen  !"  my  lady  broke  in,  "you  will 
say  no  more  to  me,  and  you  must — yes, 
you  must  believe  me,  when  I  tell  you  that 
these  things  I  have  never  known.  If  they 
be -true,  however,  it  seems  strangely  fitting 
that  it  should  be  from  your  lips  I  should 
learn  that  George  is  a  man  who,  where 
women  are  concerned,  can  not  be  trusted." 

"  That  is  rather  a  nasty  undercut,  Lady 
Elinor.  I  was,  after  all — and  considering 
all — pretty  faithful  to  you." 

"  Considering  all,  yes." 

"  You  were  rather  selfish  about  it,  you 
know." 

"  I  ?"  my  lady  asked,  as  if  incredulous. 

"  Yes.  I  might  get  along  as  best  I 
could.  There  was  the  child — Sir  William's 
name  must  ever  be  looked  out  for.  But 
what  had  I  ?  A  longing,  day  and  night, 
for  another  man's  wife,  and  little  else.  You 
273 


Mills  of  God 

see  what  I  became.  Did  you  ever  think 
that  it  was  you  who  made  me  so  ?  " 

My  day  was  at  hand.  The  blood  in  my 
veins  was  dancing,  and  there  was  a  kind  of 
singing  in  my  ears  as  of  great  joy.  I  heard 
my  lady  moan.  Perhaps  there  was  some- 
thing in  this  which  stirred  the  man's  nature, 
for  he  said  :  "  After  all,  things  must  fall  as 
they  will  fall.  If  Anne  recovers " 

"  Anne,"  my  lady  said,  "  Anne,  and  yet 
again  Anne.  Ah  !  she  will  love  you  as  the 
Church  tells  her.  Her  emotions  are  regu- 
lated and  secure.  So  much  she  will  give 
because  it  is  proper ;  so  much  keep  back, 
as  befitting  womanhood.  Do  you  know 
that  I — the  daughter  of  kings — ah  !  what 
matter  the  bar  sinister  when  the  blood 
speaks ! — am  ashamed  to  the  uttermost 
fibre  of  my  being  to  have  loved  so  slight  a 
thing." 

The  sullenness  in  the  man's  nature,  the 
strain  of  the  times,  the  sting  of  my  lady's 
274 


Mills  of  God 

taunt,  all  told  on  him.  He  laughed  slight- 
ingly. 

"  It's  a  bit  hackneyed,  even  a  bit  theat- 
rical," he  said.  "  I  suppose  it's  not  the  first 
time  a  man  has  lived  to  regret  the  fact  that 
he  has  had  a  child  by  his  mistr " 

My  time  had  come.  Pulling  myself 
together  like  a  steel  spring,  I  went  over 
the  laurel  wall  at  a  bound.  I  have  often 
noticed  in  books  that  appropriate  and  dra- 
matic speeches  are  made  at  such  times. 
Between  us  three  no  such  word  was  spoken. 
I  bore  my  mission  on  my  face.  Lord 
Bedford  saw  me  and  fell  back  a  step.  His 
face  went  white,  his  head  was  drawn  low  to 
his  chest.  He  wore  no  sword,  nor  did  I. 
I  heard  Lady  Elinor  say,  "  Robin  !  Robin  ! " 
but  the  words  sounded  faint  and  far  off,  as 
in  a  dream. 

Twice  I  struck  and  failed,  but  after  all 
it  was  play  to  me.  There  was  great,  cold, 
white  murder  in  my  soul,  and  I  knew  the 
275 


Mills  of  God 

man  to  be  physically  no  match  for  me. 
At  last  I  struck  him  just  between  the  eyes, 
and  before  he  could  recover  himself  I 
struck  again.  His  head  fell  limp,  and  he 
went  down  backward  as  one  whose  neck  is 
broken. 

There  was  in  my  mind  no  thought  but 
to  kill — to  kill,  and  so  make  end  ;  but  the 
next  time  I  struck  a  thing  happened,  so 
awful,  that  yet  I  thrill  with  misery  as  I 
attempt  to  set  it  down.  My  lady  saw 
Lord  Bedford  fall,  and  noting  my  face, 
knew  that  from  murder  I  must  be  saved. 
She  rushed  toward  us,  threw  herself  over 
him,  and  thus  it  was  that,  although  a  merci- 
ful Providence  gave  me  sense  enough  even 
at  that  time  to  soften  the  blow,  I  struck 
her  !  When  I  think  of  hell  it  is  of  that  I 
think  always. 

When  this  beautiful  woman  looked 
up  at  me,  the  blood  streaming  from  her 

temple  from  the  blow  which  I  had  given 
276 


Mills  of  God 

her,  Lord  Bedford  might  have  either  died 
or  walked  away  unhurt,  for  aught  I  was 
able  to  think  of  him,  at  sight  of  this.  I 
helped  my  lady  to  her  feet,  to  which  she 
staggered,  dizzy  from  the  blow,  stanching 
the  wound  with  her  handkerchief.  When 
she  was  able  to  speak  the  woman  of  it 
broke  forth  :  "It  would  seem  as  if  we  had 
permitted  too  much  intimacy  with  you, 
Mr.  Killduff — have  made  you  so  much  one 
of  us  that  you  forget  yourself  and  your 
position.  It  is  not  for  you  to  settle,  in 
your  rude  way,  disputes  among  another 

class " 

Lord  Bedford's  hand  twitched,  and  we 
both  knew  that  consciousness  was  return- 
ing. Lady  Elinor  saw  it,  and  suddenly 
seizing  my  hand,  she  raised  it  to  her  lips, 
kissed  it,  and,  holding  it  against  her  heart 
for  a  minute,  said  :  "  For  God's  sake  for- 
give me,  Robin  !  I  never  can  forgive 
myself,"  and,  with  her  hand  to  her  fore- 
19  277 


Mills  of  God 

head,  went  quickly  up  the  path  toward  the 
house. 

There  was  no  regret  in  my  mind  for 
what  I  had  done  as  I  looked  at  the  pros- 
trate figure  before  me.  I  remember  think- 
ing that  perhaps,  after  all,  he  might  die. 
There  was  joy  in  my  heart  at  the  thought 
of  it.  It  seemed  a  curious  and  most  un- 
dignified thing  to  fight  with  a  man  and 
then  to  run  to  the  brook  like  a  silly  gom- 
eral  to  get  water  for  his  revival,  but  to  this 
I  was  forced.  Consciousness  soon  returned 
for  him — enough  to  be  able  to  stand,  though 
his  face  was  livid  with  pain. 

I  hate  to  record  what  followed.  It 
would  have  been  more  as  I  should  have 
wished  to  put  it  down  if  he  had  shown  sur- 
liness and  an  ugly  front,  but  the  breeding 
of  the  man  returned  to  him  with  his  so- 
briety and  the  bloodletting. 

"  You  have  done  what  was  right,  old 
man,"  he  said  ;  "  I  deserve  it  all,  and  more. 
278 


Mills  of  God 

I  hold  no  grudge.  I  can  see  that  you  are 
not  only  the  better  man  of  the  two,  but 
the  finer.  I  have  never  thought  much  of 
you  before " — and  even  in  this  speech  I 
recognised  the  charm  of  him — •"  to  tell  the 
truth,  I  always  thought  a  good  old  maid 
was  spoiled  when  they  made  you  a  man, 
Mr.  Killduff." 

I  smiled  at  him  grimly.  "  Shall  I  assist 
you  to  the  house  ?"  I  asked. 

"  If  you  will.  I  am  afraid,"  with  a 
whimsical  laugh,  "  you  have  done  for  me 
for  some  time,  but  we  will  not  go  until  we 
have  shaken  hands.  You  will  shake  hands 
with  me,  will  you  not  ?  " 

"  I  will  not." 

"  You  hate  me  so,  then  ?" 

"  Not  that,  sir,"  I  answered  ;  "  hate  is 
the  wrong  word  from  me  to  you.  I  had  a 
dog  in  the  kennels  once  who  snapped  at 
the  hand  of  the  man  who  fed  him  ;  I  shot 
that  dog  the  next  morning.  As  I  despised 
•  279 


Mills  of  God 

that  dog,  I  despise  you.  I  would  not 
shake  hands  with  you,  though  my  life  de- 
pended on  it  ! " 

"  Ah  ! "  he  said,  his  anger  rising  in  a 
flash,  "  there  are  ways  to  answer  this." 

"  Not  for  me,  my  lord.  You  know  as 
well  as  I  that  you  are  no  match  for  me 
with  the  sword  or  the  pistol,  and,  with  the 
hate  I  have  toward  you,  it  would  be  fair 
murder.  We  have  always  been  on  the 
losing  side,  we  MacLarens,  and  the  family 
fortunes  went  down  at  Culloden,  but  my 
father's  sword  will  never  cross  yours.  It 
would  be  shamed  to  have  the  blood  of  you 
on  it."  A  word  had  been  bitter  on  the  end 
of  my  tongue  for  twenty  years  and  I  spat 
it  out — "  You  coward  ! "  I  cried. 

"  My  God  ! "  he  said,  in  a  kind  of  ad- 
miration of  me,  "  the  man  has  bowels." 


280 


CHAPTER  XIX 

ALL  the  day  following  I  was  conscious 
of  no  weariness  or  fatigue.  There  was  a 
kind  of  nervous  exaltation  in  me  which 
made  it  seem  as  though  neither  sleep  nor 
rest  were  a  necessity.  About  four  o'clock 
in  the  afternoon  Madame  Dulany  herself 
sent  for  me  to  come  to  the  library,  where 
I  found  her  in  the  deepest  state  of  ex- 
citement. 

"  I  suppose  you  know  that  Sir  William 
has  become  aware  of  the  trouble,"  she  said. 
"  Just  how  much  or  how  little  he  com- 
prehends we  are  not  yet  sure.  It  was  that 
insane  Spanish  woman's  conduct  last  night, 
and  some  indiscretion  of  the  daft  servants, 

that    brought    it   about.      Elinor   is  with 
281 


Mills  of  God 

him  now.  She  is  herself — Mr.  Killduff — 
wrought  up  to  such  tension  that  — there — 
is — some  danger  of  her  speaking  to  Sir 
William  of  things  which  had  better  for- 
ever remain  unsaid.  With  his  peculiar  tem- 
perament, he  thinks  more  of  the  disgrace 
of  his  son  and  the  shame  of  it  all  than  the 
sorrow  or  fear  of  that  son's  death.  His 
constant  speech  is  of  the  trouble  that  his 
child  has  brought  into  Elinor's  life.  You 
can  see" — and  here  Madame  Dulany  turned 
so  that  her  face  was  entirely  concealed 
from  the  light — "  the  danger  there  is  that 

my    daughter "     She   hesitated.       We 

both  knew  that  which  neither  would  ac- 
knowledge to  the  other,  and  by  that  dumb, 
human  sign-language  our  eyes  said  that 
further  speech  was  useless. 

"  Will  you  go  to  him  ?  "  she  asked.  And 

then,   after  wiping  her    eyes,  she  added  : 

"  We  can  never  repay  the   debt   we   owe 

you,  Mr.  Killduff.     If  it  had  pleased  God 

282 


Mills  of  God 

to  give  me  a  son  I  should  have  wished  him 
to  be  like  you." 

On  entering  Sir  William's  room  I  found 
him  asleep,  the  attendant  telling  me  that 
the  opiate  had  been  given  in  double  por- 
tion before  having  any  effect.  It  was  past 
midnight  when  he  awoke,  his  mind  won- 
derfully clear,  with  that  clearness  which  fre- 
quently comes  before  the  end.  He  smiled 
affectionately  at  me  and  desired  that  I 
should  raise  him  a  little.  His  face  was 
grown  thin  and  small  as  a  child's,  and  his 
eyes  were  wavering  in  their  glance,  but  he 
kept  firm  to  his  purpose  of  telling  me 
something  which  was  on  his  mind,  no  mat- 
ter what  the  effort  cost  him. 

"  Robin,"  he  said,  as  he  took  my  hand, 
"  I  have  tried  ever  to  be  a  just  man,  and 
since  my  lady,  my  most  dear  lady,  came 
into  my  life  I  have  known  a  happiness 
which  falls  to  the  lot  of  but  few.  But  I 
have  had  a  secret  sin,  Robin.  I  have  been 
283 


Mills  of  God 

proud.  Proud  of  the  respect  which  I  in- 
spired, vain  of  it,  with  the  pharisaical  feel- 
ing that  I  was  a  bit  more  upright  than 
other  men.  The  Lord  has  seen,  Robin, 
where  my  weakness  lay.  The  child  of  my 
loins  is  being  hunted  as  a  murderer."  The 
tears  of  weakness  and  old  age  and  shame 
rolled  down  his  sunken  cheeks.  "  Oh,  the 
disgrace  of  it,"  he  cried,  "  the  disgrace 
of  it!" 

The  door  opened  quietly  between  his 
room  and  my  lady's  and  a  figure  came 
slowly  toward  us.  It  was  Elinor  Graf  ton. 
There  was  a  new,  strange,  unearthly  beauty 
in  her  face,  and  it  shone  with  the  light  of 
the  stars  as  she  came  forward  and  stood 
by  the  bedside.  "  I  wish  to  speak  to  Sir 
William  alone,  Robin,"  she  said,  motioning 
me  away  ;  and  so  I  left  them. 

Having  tried  to  murder  a  man  in  the 
morning,  I  felt,  I  suppose,  little  hesitation 
in  playing  the  spy  at  night,  for  with  the 
284 


Mills  of  God 

words  of  Madame  Dulany  ringing  still  in 
my  ears,  and  the  strange  look  in  Lady 
Elinor's  eyes  being  fresh  with  me,  I  could 
but  fear  that  she  had  made  it  her  duty  to 
speak  to  Sir  William  of  things  which,  as 
Madame  Dulany  said,  had  best  remain  for- 
ever unspoken.  It  was  a  full  minute  be- 
fore I  heard  my  lady's  rich,  full  tones,  and 
I  knew,  how  I  can  not  tell,  that  she  had 
knelt  beside  the  bed  and  had  taken  Sir 
William's  hand  in  hers. 

"  Oh,  my  most  dear  lord,"  she  said,  "  if 
any  thoughtfulness  of  mine,  or  any  little 
act  of  kindness  which  you  have  ever  known 
of  me,  still  lingers  in  your  mind,  let  it  speak 
for  me  now.  If  the  high  love  and  friend- 
ship, which  I  call  Heaven  to  witness,  I 
have  ever  borne  you  has  made  your  life  any 
the  happier,  think  of  it  now,  dear,  think  of 
it  now,  and  forgive  me,  oh — forgive  me  for 
a  sin  committed  through  passion  and  youth. 
None  of  this  disgrace  is  your  disgrace.  In 

285 ' 


Mills  of  God 

George  Grafton,  believe  me,  there  is  no 
drop  of  your  blood.  The  disgrace  has  all 
been  mine,  is  all  mine  now.  As  God  sees 
and  forgives,  he  is  not  your  son  ! " 

I  opened  the  door  and  entered,  still 
with  the  strange  uplifting,  still  with  the 
compelling  force  in  me — thank  God — as  I 
went  toward  the  bed  and  raised  my  lady 
from  the  place  where  she  knelt.  "  Come,' 
I  said.  She  looked  at  me  a  minute  through 
her  blinding  tears.  "  Come,"  I  repeated, 
and  led  her  away,  taking  her  into  her  own 
sitting-room. 

Turning  to  her  there,  I  said,  my  anger 
rising  high  :  "  Are  you  out  of  your  mind 
entire,  Elinor  Grafton  ?  He  has  but  a  few 
hours  to  live,  and  to  ease  your  own  con- 
science you  would  take  from  him  all  that 
he  has  in  life  to  hold  by.  Leave  be  your 
sin.  The  time  when  he  will  judge  it  is 
when  he  will  know  more  reasons  for  it  than 
he  can  know  now,  and  where  he  will  be 
286 


Mills  of  God 

helped  to  your  excusing  by  that  Father 
who  sees  those  reasons  for  our  conduct 
which  we  can  not  see  ourselves ;  who 
knows  all  and  will  forgive  all."  And  I 
turned  back  to  Sir  William. 

He  was  sitting  exactly  as  I  left  him. 
Knowing  what  had  to  be  done  should  be 
done  quickly,  I  sat  down  and  took  his  hand. 

"Dear  Sir  William,"  I  said,  "there  is 
still  a  trouble  which,  while  it  is  not  a  se- 
rious one,  we  had  hoped  you  might  be 
spared  the  knowledge  of,  but  I  see  it  is 
better  told.  What  Lady  Elinor  has  said 
to  you  just  now  is,  as  you  must  know  your- 
self, utterly  untrue.  You  must  know  it," 
and  I  smiled,  "  for  what  other  man  had  my 
lady  ever  seen,  saving  yourself,  before  the 
birth  of  Master  George  ?" 

I  saw  him  brighten  a  little,  and  went 

on  :  "  But  the  great  strain  of  your  illness, 

which,  because  of  the  love  my  lady  bears 

you,  has  been  hard  for  her  to  endure,  com- 

287 


Mills  of  God 

bined  with  the  scandal  of  this  late  affair, 
the  whole  coming  at  that  time  when  it  is 
hardest  for  women  to  withstand  such  men- 
tal shocks,  has  so  unhinged  my  lady  that,  at 
times,  she  is  not  quite  herself.  Madame 
Dulany  told  me  but  this  afternoon  of  the 
strange  things  which  she  had  been  saying." 
I  saw  the  troubled  look  almost  pass  away. 
I  had  ever  been  honest  till  now,  and, 
though  they  say  lying  is  always  hard  at  the 
beginning,  I  did  not  find  it  so. 

Then  I  told  him  of  Master  George's 
improved  condition,  and  that  there  was 
every  hope  that  in  a  month  or  so  Miss 
Anne  would  be  as  well  as  ever,  and,  resting 
on  my  shoulder,  he  went  to  sleep. 

A  golden  shaft  of  the  newly  risen  sun 
had  struck  into  the  room  and  cast  a  bright 
light  on  his  gentle  face  and  white  hair  be- 
fore he  awoke.  Twice  he  made  as  if  to 
speak,  and  the  third  time  said  quite  clearly, 
"Elinor." 

288 


Mills  of  God 


Knowing  this  was  the  end,  I  called  her, 
and  she  came  quickly  from  her  own  room 
and  knelt  beside  him,  laying  her  raven  head 
near  his  own  white  hair,  and  their  eyes 
looked  full  into  each  other.  What  was 
told  in  that  look,  what  confessions  made, 
and  what  forgiveness  given,  will  remain 
forever  known  to  them  alone.  At  last  Sir 
William  spoke. 

"  If  there  is  anything  which  you  have 
ever  done,  no  matter  what — no  matter 
what — "  his  voice  almost  forceful  in  the 
repetition — "which,  with  your  innocent  con- 
science, you  may  have  considered  a  wrong 
to  me,  I  forgive  you — and  love  you — and 
honour  you — before  all  else  in  the  world. 
You  should  never  be  judged  as  others. 
You  are  so  much  superior  to  us  all,  it  were 
an  impertinence  to  judge  you  so." 

Loyal,  loyal  Sir  William  !  There  was 
a  pause,  broken  only  by  Lady  Elinor's  sobs. 

"  When  man  comes  to  the  end  it  is  not 
289 


Mills  of  God 

many  who  have  such  a  wife  and  such  a 
friend  to  help  him  cross.  I  have  always 
hoped  that  it  might  be  thus.  I  have 
wanted  no  priest ;  but  only  to  have  Robin 
Killduff's  hand  in  mine,  and  my  lady's  pure 
voice  to  say  '  Our  Father '  before  I  entered 
into  the  fulness  of  his  presence." 

Holding  his  hand  between  hers,  she 
sobbed  forth,  "  Our  Father  ! " 

"  Our  Father,"  he  repeated,  "  which  art 
in  heaven,  hallowed  be  thy  name.  Thy 
kingdom  come.  Thy  will  be  done,  on  earth 
as  it  is  in  heaven.  Give  us  this  day  our  daily 
bread,  and  forgive  us — and  forgive  us  our 
trespasses  as  we  forgive  those  who  trespass 
against  us " 

Sir  William  raised  his  hand  here,  and 
repeated  solemnly,  "As  we  forgive  those 
who  trespass  against  us ; "  and  then,  with 
his  hand  on  my  lady's  head,  and  a  smile  on 
his  dear,  kind  face,  he  passed  beyond. 

290 


CHAPTER  XX 

THIS  great  trouble  of  Sir  William's  death 
fell  at  a  most  calamitous  time.  There  was 
the  matter  of  the  captain's  detainment, 
which  put  us  all  in  hourly  danger ;  and, 
still  more,  the  necessity  of  removing  Mas- 
ter George  from  his  present  position  to  a 
place  of  safety.  I  had  bethought  me  that, 
if  there  was  any  truth  in  the  rumour  that 
the  Virgin  Queen  was  at  Newport  News, 
the  difficulty  of  getting  him  out  of  the  coun- 
try would  be  greatly  lessened — the  captain 
of  the  boat,  Kenneth  Craig,  being  a  man 
of  my  own  country,  well  known  by  my 
family,  and  we  of  Scotch  blood  ever  hold- 
ing fast  by  one  another.  Truth  to  tell,  the 
said  Craig  had  but  little  respect  for  the 
291 


Mills  of  God 

new  country,  and  would  break  its  laws  as 
easily  as  he  would  the  neck  off  a  rum- 
bottle,  and  with  none  the  less  speed  if 
there  was  some  gold  to  be  gained  by  it. 

By  reason  of  the  many  preparations  to 
be  made,  I  had  seen  nothing  of  the  soldiers 
until  late  that  afternoon,  when  I  found  the 
lieutenant  sitting  idly  by  the  river  bank. 

"  Is  Captain  Godwin  here  ? "  I  asked. 

"  No,"  he  answered  pleasantly  ;  "  he  will 
not  be  back  for  several  days." 

This  answer  set  my  mind  greatly  at 
rest.  If  the  captain's  men  expected  him 
to  stay  away,  there  was  far  less  danger  of 
anxiety  being  aroused  as  to  his  where- 
abouts, and  there  was  a  breathing  spell 
at  least. 

The  funeral  of  Sir  William  occurred  on 
the  third  day  from  his  death,  the  whole 
country-side  following  him  to  his  last  rest- 
ing-place. It  so  fell,  in  the  ordering  of  the 
carriages,  that  my  lady  was  forced  to  ride 
292 


Mills  of  God 

with  Lord  Harry,  and  the  thoughts  which 
came  to  them  both  on  that  dreary  ride  must 
have  made  it  one  of  the  bitterest  ordeals 
of  their  lives. 

It  was  not  long  after  our  return  home 
that  I  found  occasion  to  speak  to  Lady 
Elinor,  feeling  heartless  to  force  further 
anxiety  on  her  this  day,  but  knowing  that 
there  was  nothing  to  take  one's  mind  from 
one's  dead  like  care  for  one's  living,  I  out- 
lined briefly  my  plan,  which  was  to  go  di- 
rectly by  boat  to  Newport  News,  and  find 
some  bark  willing  to  take  Master  George 
and  myself  to  English  waters.  I  men- 
tioned my  hope  that  the  Virgin  Queen 
might  really  be  coasting  around  in  the 
waters  near  Newport  News,  getting  a  cargo 
of  tobacco  ready,  and  the  good  chance 
of  all  arrangements  being  made  with  little 
difficulty  if  this  should  turn  out  to  be  true. 

It  was  here  that  affairs  took  a  most 
curious  turn,  my  lady  declaring  firmly,  and 
20  293 


Mills  of  God 

with  great  vehemence,  that  where  Master 
George  was  taken  she  would  go  too  ;  that 
there  was  naught  left  in  her  life  but  him, 
and  that  she  had  borne  all  her  strength 
would  allow  her,  and  this  parting  she  could 
not  endure.  It  was  all  in  vain  that  I  pointed 
out  to  her  the  increased  danger  it  would 
make  to  have  a  woman  of  the  party,  even 
if  George  were  able  to  be  moved. 

With  what  secrecy  these  preparations 
were  put  forward  it  were  hard  to  tell.  I 
was  out  at  midnight  sculling  a  boat  down 
unaccustomed  waters ;  I  was  made  to  hide 
and  skulk  like  a  thief  in  the  daytime  ;  I 
was  forced  to  lies  and  deceits,  and  thought, 
with  a  gray  humour,  of  my  latter  end  if 
my  present  life  went  on  ;  but,  at  the  last, 
it  all  fared  better  than  I  could  have  hoped, 
for  Kenneth's  boat  was  lying  in  the  har- 
bour, and  he  not  only  was  willing  but  eager 
to  undertake  the  task  of  getting  us  away 
from  these  unfriendly  shores. 
294 


Mills  of  God 

On  my  return  to  Deepdeen,  which  hap- 
pened late  one  May  night — I  think  it  was 
the  twenty-third  or  thereabouts — I  entered 
by  the  carriage-way,  as  I  had  done  before. 
My  lady  was  sitting  by  the  entrance  in  the 
hall,  reading  at  a  little  table.  I  had  en- 
tered almost  without  noise,  and  she,  look- 
ing up,  quickly  put  her  finger  to  her  lips 
and  motioned  me  to  step  behind  a  hanging 
curtain  which  partially  excluded  the  light 
from  one  of  the  deep,  long,  south  windows. 
I  had  scarcely  concealed  myself  when  I 
heard  the  measured  tread  of  a  sentinel, 
and,  on  peering  cautiously  around,  saw  one 
of  the  soldiers  pacing  up  and  down  the 
south  walk,  and,  looking  into  the  hall  again, 
discovered  the  lieutenant  of  the  guards 
seated,  facing  the  main  entrance.  There 
was  evidently  some  new  trouble  brewing — 
a  thing,  I  thought  with  some  sourness,  I 
could  have  done  excellently  well  without. 
I  waited  patiently,  with  a  wondering  in 
295 


Mills  of  God 

my  head  as  to  what  this  new  arrangement 
might  mean.  That  it  had  something  to 
do  with  the  captain's  prolonged  absence  I 
felt  sure ;  and  from  my  lady's  quick  anxiety 
about  my  being  seen,  it  was  evident  that 
I  was  accused  of  having  a  hand  in  it  all. 

It  must  have  been  gone  fully  the  quar- 
ter of  the  hour,  when  she  arose,  closed  the 
book  which  she  was  reading,  and  came 
over  to  the  window.  She  yawned  slightly, 
so  that  it  could  be  heard,  and  then,  in  full 
view  of  the  lieutenant,  stood  looking  out 
into  the  darkness.  Presently,  in  a  whisper, 
she  spoke  :  "  When  I  overturn  the  chess- 
men, step  on  the  porch.  Wait  ! "  and  re- 
turning to  her  old  position,  said,  with  much 
sweetness  and  gentleness,  "  Would  you  like 
to  play  a  game  of  chess,  lieutenant  ?" 

In  the  settling  to  the  game  Lady  Elinor 
overturned,  as  if  by  chance,  the  whole  set 
of  chessmen,  table  and  all,  and,  in  the  con- 
fusion that  followed,  I  stepped  out  on  the 
296 


Mills  of  God 

piazza,  standing  well  in  the  shadow  as  di- 
rected. The  sentry  was  walking  up  and 
down,  several  times  passing  directly  be- 
neath my  hiding-place.  In  truth,  I  saw 
little  chance  of  my  escaping,  and  when  I 
thought  that  at  four  of  this  same  morning 
Abednego  was  to  meet  me  at  the  junction 
of  Buler's  Creek  with  the  river,  I  waxed 
big  with  impatience.  Presently,  after  what 
seemed  to  me  an  interminable  waiting,  the 
great  door  opened  and  a  man  of  nearly  my 
own  bigness  came  forth  into  the  light.  As 
he  stood  on  the  steps  I  saw  it  was  the  new 
doctor  from  Richmond.  He  bade  the 
sentry  "  Good-evening,"  and  asked  if  the 
clouds  in  the  east  portended  rain.  On 
being  told  that  the  man's  opinion  was  for 
clear  weather,  he  answered  that  he  believed 
a  walk  would  do  him  good  then,  and  that 
he  would  get  his  hat  and  go  for  a  stroll. 
As  the  sentry  reached  the  farthest  corner 
of  the  house  the  man  came  hurriedly  to- 
297 


Mills  of  God 

ward  my  place  of  concealment,  handed  me 
a  pencilled  note,  gave  me  a  broad  hat  in 
exchange  for  my  own,  and  hurriedly  told 
me  to  walk  boldly  through  the  moonlight 
of  the  lawn  to  the  old  well  and  then  drop 
into  the  river  path. 

There  was  fear  in  my  heart  as  I  went 
across  that  white  light,  knowing  the  sentry 
was  watching  every  move,  but  strong  in 
the  thought  that  it  was  the  doctor.  When 
I  reached  the  river  bank  I  stopped  to  read 
the  note  my  lady  had  sent.  It  directed  me 
to  wait  till  midnight,  by  the  swinging  tree, 
where  news  would  be  sent  me. 

Arriving  at  the  spot,  I  swung  myself 
high  into  the  friendly  branches  and  waited 
for  the  further  enlightenment  that  was  to 
come.  I  suppose  I  dozed  off,  because  it 
was  from  bonnie  Scotland,  as  it  seemed, 
that  I  was  recalled  by  a  noise  from  below. 
Peering  over  from  my  hiding-place,  I  saw 
a  woman,  in  a  short  petticoat,  with  a  Kil- 
298 


Mills  of  God 

larney  cloak  over  her  head.  I  let  myself 
down  from  my  perch,  and  addressing  me, 
she  said  in  a  deep  voice  with  a  strong  Irish 
brogue,  "  It's  mesilf  that  comes  from  Mis- 
tress Graf  ton  to  you." 

There  was  something  about  her  which 
impressed  me  as  a  disguise,  and  instantly  all 
my  thought  was  for  protecting  my  lady 
from  any  implication  in  the  whole  affair.  I 
responded  that  doubtless  it  was  for  some 
one  else  she  mistook  me.  Throwing  back 
the  hood,  she  said,  "  Why,  Robin,  didn't 
you  know  me  ? "  and  my  lady  stood  before 
me.  She  carried  a  small  reticule  in  one 
hand  and  a  kind  of  hamper  of  clothes  in 
the  other,  which  she  handed  to  me,  and 
which  I  found  afterward  to  contain  her 
jewels  and  as  much  gold  as  she  could 
gather. 

As  we  fared  down  the  path  I  told  her 
of  how  my  errand  had  succeeded,  and  she 

gave  me  news  of  the  happenings  at  Deep- 
299 


Mills  of  God 

deen  in  my  absence.  My  disappearance 
and  the  unexplained  absence  of  the  captain 
had  so  justified  the  thought  of  some  family 
complicity  in  the  affair,  that  a  reward  was 
set  upon  my  person,  my  lady  said,  and  the 
fear  for  me  was  large  in  her  heart,  with  the 
anxiety  for  the  safety  of  Master  George. 

It  might  have  been  better  had  we  had 
time  to  rest  after  our  tramp  to  the  place  of 
meeting,  but  it  was  nearing  two,  and  time 
was  very  precious,  as  Kenneth  would  be 
waiting.  My  lady  said  that,  with  the  help 
of  the  doctor  and  Josephine,  she  thought 
her  absence  would  not  be  known  till  the 
following  afternoon ;  and  this  time,  we 
felt,  would  be  ample  to  let  us  reach  the 
mouth  of  the  river,  Kenneth  having  agreed 
to  come  as  far  up  stream  as  the  draught  of  his 
ship  would  allow.  The  boat  in  which  we 
found  Uncle  Abe  waiting  was  a  wide-bot- 
tomed one,  heavy  to  row,  without  sail  of 
any  kind,  but  broad  enough  to  be  able  to 
300 


Mills  of  God 

accommodate  without  crowding  the  pallet 
on  which  Master  George  lay. 

My  lady's  meeting  with  her  son  was  so 
tender  as  to  make  the  tears  come  to  the 
eyes  of  Uncle  Abe  and  myself.  There 
was  no  remembrance  of  aught,  save  his 
great  danger  and  the  sickness  from  which 
he  suffered,  in  my  lady's  face  as  she  sat 
beside  him  in  the  stern  with  his  hand  in 
hers.  Uncle  Abe  offered  to  go  with  us  to 
help  in  the  rowing,  and,  as  it  turned  out, 
it  was  the  mercy  of  God  that  we  took  him. 
We  had  eighteen  miles  to  cover,  and  that 
as  quickly  as  possible,  with  the  knowledge 
that  a  mishap  might  land  us  all  in  such 
trouble  as  we  could  not  bear  the  thought  of. 

I  remember  well  the  silence  of  the 
river  as  we  rowed  along  in  the  shadow  of 
the  trees,  hugging  the  shore,  watching  with 
fear  the  moonlight  on  the  white  dogwood 
blossoms,  stopping  on  our  oars  at  the 
dread  of  some  splash  in  the  water,  or  at  the 
301 


Mills  of  God 

noise  of  some  frightened  bird  in  its  flight 
through  the  night. 

Even  in  her  anxiety  for  George  my 
lady  kept  herself  alert  for  any  sound,  and 
would  ever  and  anon  put  up  her  hand  and 
caution  us  as  we  proceeded,  her  woman 
senses  enabling  her  to  hear  things  which 
were  dulled  to  our  ears.  It  was  nearing 
five  when  we  turned  really  into  the  mouth 
of  the  river,  and  there,  every  scrap  of  can- 
vas up  and  the  boats  lowered,  thank  God, 
was  the  Virgin  Queen  ! 

Craig  had  been  watching  for  us  since 
four  o'clock,  and  it  was  with  preparations 
to  be  off  all  made  that  he  hoisted  the 
boats  and  pulled  up  anchor,  so  that,  by  ten 
of  the  morning,  unpursued  so  far  as  we 
knew,  we  swept  past  Newport  News  and 
set  sail  for  the  open  sea. 

All  that  day  the  ship  held  fast  to  her 
course,  past  the  Hampton  Roads,  through 
the  Capes,  with  a  fair  wind  and  apparently 
302 


Mills  of  God 

no  pursuit.  George  was  made  as  com- 
fortable as  possible  in  Captain  Craig's  own 
cabin,  and  Lady  Elinor  devoted  herself  en- 
tirely to  his  comforting. 

If  there  is  some  small  confusion  in  my 
mind  as  to  the  events  which  happened — 
not  as  to  the  events  themselves,  but  the  ex- 
act times  of  them — it  must  be  remembered 
that  I  write  nearly  twenty-five  years  after 
these  happenings,  and  with  no  other  assist- 
ance than  my  own  poor  memory.  Nor 
would  I  put  this  adventure  of  ours  down, 
save  for  the  way  it  sets  my  lady  forth,  as 
the  woman  she  was,  with  the  fine  bravery 
of  a  man,  and  the  endurance  of  the  women 
who  have  been  great  on  earth. 

It  was  gone,  as  I  remember  it,  far  into 
the  first  night  when  the  trouble  began  which 
gave  us  some  serious  apprehension.  This 
was  from  the  increasing  heat,  which  was 
both  stifling  and  unseasonable.  I  scram- 
bled up  on  deck,  to  find  Craig  and  the  first 
303 


Mills  of  God 

mate  anxious  and  alert.  There  was  not  a 
breath  of  wind,  and  the  blackness  was  im- 
penetrable. Almost  becalmed,  the  brig  sat 
on  the  waves  in  that  dreadful  silence  and 
heat  until  the  light  of  day  began  to  break 
through  the  east.  With  it  came  a  horrible 
greenness  of  both  sea  and  sky,  a  gleam  of 
green  lightning  being  over  everything  ex- 
cept in  the  northeast,  where  the  inky  clouds 
seemed  falling  into  the  sea.  About  six  of 
the  morning  there  began  to  be  unsteady 
puffs  of  wind,  and  by  eight  it  was  blowing 
a  gale  with  the  sea  thrown  into  mountains 
upon  mountains  of  water. 

Up  the  sides  of  these  the  ship  would 
climb,  straining  every  nerve  of  herself,  and 
then,  for  one  frightful  moment,  would  stay 
poised  tremulously  on  the  crest  before  div- 
ing headlong  into  the  valley  of  water 
below.  The  terror  of  it  has  ever  remained 
with  me.  The  horrid  catching  for  breath 
after  the  quick  dives,  and  the  sickness  of 
304 


Mills  of  God 

soul  and  body  in  the  long  onward  roll, 
dauntens  me  still  as  I  write. 

The  continuous  northeaster  was  setting 
us  constantly  back  upon  the  land,  only 
farther  toward  the  south,  a  thing  the  cap- 
tain liked  little  enough,  as  he  dreaded  noth- 
ing on  sea  as  he  did  the  terrors  to  his  brig 
from  the  reefs  along  the  Carolinas.  It  was 
late  in  the  afternoon  of  the  third  day,  as 
I  remember  it,  that,  with  a  crash  and  boom, 
the  main-mast  splintered  in  two,  sending 
one  of  the  men  senseless  on  the  deck, 
where,  but  for  the  swiftness  and  strength  of 
Craig,  he  would  have  been  washed  over- 
board. After  this  we  did  but  lie  at  the 
mercy  of  the  waves,  drifting  ever  and  ever 
toward  the  land,  until  the  fourth  day, 
when,  within  sight  of  some  green  shore,  the 
vessel  struck  and  with  a  shudder,  such  as 
seemed  verily  human,  stuck  fast. 

During  all  this  time  I  saw  Elinor  Graf- 
ton  constantly.  George  lay  unconscious 
305 


Mills  of  God 

most  of  the  while,  and,  save  for  the  concern 
of  him,  she  might  have  been  walking  the 
porches  at  Deepdeen  for  any  fear  she  ever 
made  manifest  to  us.  She  had  made  some 
mistakes,  but  hers  was  never  the  nature  to 
whine,  and  she,  till  the  end — yes,  till  the 
very  end — settled  her  accountings  in  si- 
lence and  with  a  calm  face. 

Once,  on  the  second  night,  I  think,  she 
stood  in  the  little  cabin  looking  forth  into 
the  darkness,  and  she  smiled  at  me  as  I 
came  in. 

"You  have  no  fear?"  I  asked,  and  she 
must  have  seen  the  glory  I  had  in  her 
through  my  eyes.  "  You  have  no  fear  ? " 

"  I  have  tasted  such  bitter  waters  of 
late,"  she  answered,  "that  these  would  be 
but  sweet  drinking,"  and  turned  from  me 
with  the  teeth  set  and  the  eyes  half  closed, 
as  was  her  way  when  she  would  speak  no 
more  and  would  claim  silence  from  those 
around  her.  I  found  her  thus  when  the 
306 


Mills  of  God 

vessel  struck,  and  she  heard  the  news  of 
the  boats  being  lowered  with  the  look  of  a 
man  taking  his  last  orders. 

Everything  fell  into  a  frenzy  of  con- 
fusion, and  yet,  where  the  captain  was, 
there  was  a  thread  of  orderliness  running 
through  it.  Inside,  toward  the  shore,  we 
could  see  the  water  was  calmer,  and  when, 
after  the  captain's  inspection,  the  boats 
were  let  down,  there  was  less  excitement 
and  fear  than  one  would  imagine,  the  pres- 
ent need  for  action  taking  away  the  time 
for  fearful  thought. 

Lady  Elinor  and  Master  George,  the 
captain,  two  sailors,  the  cook  and  the 
cook's  wife,  were  in  our  boat,  the  rest  of 
the  crew,  with  the  first  and  second  mate, 
taking  the  other.  Once  inside  the  coral 
reefs,  the  force  of  the  wind  being  broken, 
we  found  the  water  rough  but  the  boats 
not  altogether  unmanageable,  and  were 
able,  after  much  difficulty  and  exhaustion, 
307 


Mills  of  God 

to  effect  a  landing,  the  men  wading  in  and 
carrying  Master  George,  whom  we  naturally 
felt  should  have  the  first  care. 

This  place  toward  which  we  were  blown 
turned  out  to  be  an  island  much  like  the 
small  ones  which  lie  around  False  Cape. 
It  was  covered  with  vegetation  even  down 
to  the  water's  edge,  and  was  exceedingly 
moist  and  unhealthy  in  appearance,  al- 
though, as  we  pushed  inward,  we  found  the 
land  to  rise  into  some  moderate-sized  hills. 

During  all  the  trouble  that  ensued  the 
selection  of  a  place  of  camp,  and  the  lack 
of  the  very  commonest  necessaries  of  life, 
Lady  Elinor  showed  never  a  sign  of  irrita- 
tion or  annoyance,  but  ever,  with  a  clear 
head  and  calm  word,  helped  and  encouraged 
those  about  her.  Thus  were  all  of  our 
plans  suddenly  changed  and  we  thrown 
back  into  an  unfriendly  land,  knowing  not 
where  we  were,  nor  for  how  long  we  should 
have  to  stay. 

308 


Mills  of  God 

There  was  nothing  to  hope  for  from  the 
brig,  a  huge  hole  having  been  stove  in  her 
side,  the  firmness  with  which  the  rock  was 
held  in  her  alone  preventing  her  from  going 
down.  There  were  repeated  goings  and 
comings  back  and  forth,  everything  pos- 
sible being  removed  to  make  our  habitation 
on  shore  endurable.  I  had,  by  Lady  Eli- 
nor's wish,  set  the  men  to  work  at  con- 
structing a  house,  she  herself  offering  them 
six  shillings  a  day  as  wages.  They  were 
rough  men,  and,  although  we  hoped  our 
stay  would  be  but  short,  she  thought  them 
safer  hard  at  work  than  left  to  idleness  and 
their  own  wild  thoughts.  Of  food,  such  as 
it  was,  we  had  plenty,  and  near  the  sea  one 
is  not  liable  to  starve. 

The  house  which  the  men  constructed 
was  of  fresh  wood,  but  waterproof  and 
stanch  and  fairly  well  built.  It  had  but 
two  rooms  and  was  badly  ventilated,  but  it 
kept  a  dry  roof  over  my  lady  and  her  son, 
ai  309 


Mills  of  God 

and  we  were  able  to  bring  some  of  the 
bedding  and  linen  from  the  ship,  so  that 
Master  George  was  made  easy  and  com- 
fortable. 

As  for  me,  I  have  spent  far  unhappier 
times.  My  lady  was  entirely  dependent 
upon  me.  She  had  no  one  else  to  whom 
she  might  turn,  and  even  the  men  recog- 
nised this  almost  as  much  as  if  I  had  been 
her  husband. 

All  the  time  we  kept  a  brisk  lookout 
for  sailing  vessels  by  day,  and  at  night 
built  a  signal-fire,  taking  turns  in  the  watch 
that  it  might  not  go  out ;  but  no  vessels 
came  near,  nor  in  all  this  time  was  a  boat 
of  any  description  to  be  seen,  the  sea-going 
ones  staying  far  out  on  the  water  in  order 
to  avoid  the  treacherous  coast.  So  we 
lived  until  the  dog-days  of  August  fell  on 
the  land ;  afraid  to  make  very  extensive 
explorations  in  the  small  boats,  not  know- 
ing enough  where  we  were  to  be  free  from 
310 


Mi/If  of  God 


the  dread  of  Indians  or  the  worse  horrors 
of  fevers  from  the  long  swamps,  of  which 
we  had  heard  such  dismal  tales. 

Of  Master  George's  condition  I  could 
not  then,  nor  have  I  ever  since,  been  able 
to  come  to  any  just  conclusion.  He  was 
able,  in  about  ten  days  from  our  landing,  to 
sit  in  the  rude  chair  which  one  of  the  men 
had  constructed  for  him,  and  in  about  a 
fortnight  could  walk  for  a  short  distance 
without  much  fatigue.  He  would  sit  for 
hours,  gazing  out  to  sea,  talking  occa- 
sionally with  the  others,  but  he  never,  so 
far  as  I  have  been  able  to  judge,  entirely 
regained  his  reason.  He  would  talk  along 
rationally  with  me  for  a  little  while,  and 
then,  dropping  his  voice  suddenly,  would 
say,  "  Robin,  where  is  she  ?"  or  "  It  was  at 
twelve  o'clock  I  was  to  meet  her,"  and 
once,  with  great  earnestness,  "  She  let  me 
kiss  her  shoulder — twice,"  this  last  being 
stated  in  the  middle  of  a  discussion  about 


Mills  of  God 

the  cooking  of  crabs,  which  we  found  in 
great  plenty  off  the  west  shore  of  the 
island. 

In  July  the  heat  became  terrible  and 
continuous,  and  in  the  latter  part  of  the 
month  two  of  the  men  sickened  and  died 
of  some  heat  disease  which  Craig  thought 
to  be  the  regular  swamp  fever.  In  so 
small  a  community  this  was  a  great  sorrow 
for  all,  and  our  spirits  fell  into  the  deepest 
gloom. 

The  day  after  Folsom — one  of  the  men 
— was  buried,  Master  George  complained 
in  the  morning  of  a  frightful  headache,  and 
all  day  was  unable  to  move  with  any  degree 
of  comfort.  Lady  Elinor  and  I  sat  with 
him  alternately,  doing  all  in  our  power  to 
allay  the  pain.  We  had,  however,  few 
medicines  and  less  knowledge  of  the  disease 
we  were  trying  to  stay,  and  the  helplessness 
of  our  state  appalled  me.  Our  condition, 
in  health,  was  a  totally  different  matter 
312 


Mills  of  God 

from  that  of  a  shipwrecked  crew  in  a 
strange  land  whose  numbers  were  likely  to 
become  bitterly  lessened  at  the  hand  of  an 
unknown  malady.  Our  wretched  plight  so 
depressed  me  as  to  make  me  physically  ill, 
and  I  felt,  with  a  blind  terror,  that  the  life 
I  loved  more  than  my  own  was  in  every 
way  entirely  dependent  on  me. 

The  third  night  after  Master  George 
was  smitten,  Lady  Elinor  had  gone  to  her 
apartment  for  the  rest  which  she  so  much 
needed,  and  was  with  much  difficulty  per- 
suaded to  take.  George  was  lying  uncon- 
scious, but  quiet,  and  I  was  dozing  off 
myself,  when  he  seemed  to  waken  from  a 
sound  sleep  suddenly,  and  turning  toward 
me,  gave  me  a  completely  rational  look  and 
essayed  to  speak.  With  the  movement 
which  he  made,  however,  the  vomiting  re- 
turned, and  the  shuddering  convulsions 
which  I  knew,  both  from  Baxter  and  Fol- 
som,  meant  the  end. 

313 


Mills  of  God 

That  night  was  one  of  torture  for  Eli- 
nor Grafton.  There  was  no  other  trouble 
that  I  had  ever  seen  her  bear  in  which  she 
had  not  a  heroic  kind  of  self-restraint,  but 
in  this — this  giving  up  of  her  only  child — 
a  frenzy  of  sorrow  seemed  to  possess  her, 
and  after  the  end  came,  which  was  toward 
the  morning,  she  wrung  her  hands  and 
moaned  in  a  dry  agony  fearful  to  see.  It 
was  impossible  to  move  her  from  the  body. 
She  sat,  leaning  over  it,  holding  the  dead 
face  against  her  own,  moaning  :  "  My  baby  ! 
My  little,  little  baby !  Forgive,  oh,  for- 
give !  Tell  me  that  you  forgive  your  most 
unhappy  mother ! "  She  shed  no  tears, 
and,  by  the  time  the  little  settlement  had 
gathered  around,  was  terrible  to  look  upon 
in  her  dry-eyed  misery,  with  her  white  face 
and  set  lips. 

What  preparations  could  be  made  for  a 
decent  burial  were  attended  to  from  the 
house,  and  the  afternoon  after  the  death 
3H 


Mills  of  God 

the  funeral  took  place,  the  haste  seeming 
almost  indecent,  but  being  necessary  for 
the  protection  of  those  still  living.  The 
spot  selected  for  the  resting-place  was  on 
a  little  hill  upon  which  the  setting  sun 
seemed  ever  to  linger  longest.  It  was  one 
of  those  days  in  midsummer  when  the  sky 
was  faint  blue  and  far  away,  and  all  nature 
below  appeared  still  and  listening.  The 
hush  of  the  place  was  something  frightful. 
Mrs.  Hodgson  and  several  of  the  men 
sobbed  aloud,  but  from  Elinor  Grafton 
there  was  no  sound.  She  stood  beside  me, 
dry-eyed,  her  eyelids  drawn  a  little  to- 
gether, her  face  of  a  deadly  whiteness ;  but 
once,  when  she  heard  the  earth  fall  on  the 
body  of  her  beloved,  did  she  seem,  even  for 
a  minute,  to  stagger  before  this  awful  blow. 
The  captain  read  the  burial-service,  the 
men  sang  a  sailor's  hymn,  and,  at  her  re- 
quest, I  offered  a  prayer.  As  I  prayed, 
prayed  for  strength  for  this  desolate  and 
315 


Mills  of  God 

loving  mother,  robbed  of  the  last  thing 
on  earth  which  she  held  dear,  a  thought 
came  to  me  which,  even  yet,  I  ponder  with 
fear.  It  brings  doublings  which  lead  me 
far  from  my  best  beliefs ;  but  still  the  ques- 
tion lingers  as  to  why,  if  God  is  just,  the 
suffering  is  forever  greatest  for  the  woman. 
For  the  two  days  which  followed  the 
funeral  my  lady  sat  alone,  nor  did  food  or 
drink  of  any  kind  pass  her  lips.  She 
neither  spoke  nor  wept,  but  sat  by  the  win- 
dow looking  toward  the  place  where  Sir 
George  was  laid.  I  knew  that  madness 
lay  in  the  way  she  was  acting,  and,  about 
eleven  of  the  second  night,  took  a  resolu- 
tion which  made  me  feel  a  very  brute  in 
the  clinching  of  "it.  I  spoke  her  name  out- 
side the  screen,  but  there  was  no  answer. 
Pushing  aside  the  ship's  sail,  which  formed 
a  kind  of  curtain,  I  entered  the  room.  She 
was  sitting,  looking  out  of  the  window  into 
the  dreadful  lonesomeness  of  the  starlight 


'Mills  of  God 

toward  that  solitary  grave.  I  knelt  before 
her  and  took  her  hands  in  mine. 

"  Tell  me,  before  I  speak  what  must  be 
spoken,  that  you  forgive  me  any  pain  I 
must  cause  you — I,  who  would  die  to  save 
you  the  least  pain." 

There  was  the  bitterness  of  life  in  the 
curving  of  her  lips  as  she  answered  me  : 
"  What  matter  whether  I  forgive  or  not — 
I  ?  Who  am  I  to  forgive  ?  A  deserted 
woman — a  childless  mother — a  creature 
needing  forgiveness  of  God  and  man — 
if  there  be  a  God,  which  I  sometimes 
doubt." 

"  I  come  to  you,  not  as  a  man  comes  to 
a  woman,  but  as  a  man  comes  to  a  man,  to 
ask  you  for  help.  You  have  a  head  to  use, 
the  real  intelligence,  which  is  ability  to 
help  yourself  upward  to  your  best.  Your 
whole  life  for  the  last  years  has  .been  a  con- 
scious preparation  for  the  sorrow  which 
you  felt  would  be  your  portion  some  time 


Mills  of  God 

here  below.     Help  me  now  by  telling  me 
how  I  can  help  you  bear  it." 

"  Ah  ! "  she  answered,  "  it  is  the  grim- 
ness  of  it  that  this  is  the  thing  of  which 
I  never  thought  at  all.  I  had  thought  of 
everything — of  every  other  thing  but  this. 
I  thought  that  shame  before  the  world 
might  be  my  part ;  that  my  sin  might  be- 
come known.  I  know  now  that  to  a 
woman  like  me  it  would  have  been  the 
least  of  all  the  trouble  if  love  still  was 
mine.  I  feared  sometimes  that  Sir  Wil- 
liam might  discover ;  and  while  the  sorrow 
to  his  dear  heart  was  something  awful  for 
me  to  think  of,  I  know  now  how  little  it 
appeared.  I  felt  his  love — I  can  not  bear 
to  speak  his  name — might  be  taken  from 
me,  and  tried  to  be  prepared  for  it.  To  be 
prepared  for  change — it  was  what  Goethe 
told  me.  But  of  this — this — this — I  never 
thought.  He  was  so  young,  so  beautiful, 
so  fine.  He  was  mine.  It  was  I  that 

318 


Mills  of  God 

made  hint.  What  right  has  anybody,  any- 
thing, to  him,  but  me  ?  " 

"  Listen ! "  I  said,  and  I  clinched  her 
hands  in  mine  so  that  I  know  the  pain 
must  have  stung  her  sore  ;  "  can  you  nerve 
yourself  to  talk  it  out  with  me  ?  Can  you 
make  yourself  do  this  thing  ?  Believe  me, 
madness  lies  along  that  other  way.  Are 
you  as  strong  and  fine  a  woman  as  I  think 
you — big  enough  thus  consciously  to  help 
yourself  ?  " 

There  were  some  seconds  of  hesitation, 
and  then  the  look  which  those  wear  who 
have  conquered  self  came  back  into  her 
eyes,  and  she  raised  her  chest  as  an  athlete 
makes  himself  ready  to  stand  a  blow. 

"  I  can  help  myself,"  she  said,  "  and,  I 
believe,  you — poor,  poor  Robin  ! — I  can 
even  help  you  a  little." 

It  was  nearly  morning  when  that  talk 
was  ended — a  talk  in  which  Elinor  Grafton 
laid  bare  her  soul  to  me,  as  a  little  child 
319 


Mills  of  God 

might  have  done.  The  thing  which  came 
back  and  back,  with  painful  iteration,  was 
the  questioning  as  to  why  God  teaches  us 
by  sorrow  only. 

"  Why,"  she  asked,  "  couldn't  I  as  well 
have  been  taught  by  joy?"  And  another 
thing  which  stuck  fast  with  her  was  the 
questioning  as  to  the  birth  of  Master 
George.  "What  do  you  think  his  life 
was  given  for  ?  " 

"To  save  you  from  yourself,"  I  an- 
swered. "  It  was  your  love  for  him  that 
made  you  the  beautiful  character  you  are." 

"But  what  of  him?"  she  persisted. 
"  Does  a  woman  want  to  save  herself  at 
the  expense  of  her  child  ?  If  I  could  feel 
that,  knowing  all,  he  forgives  all ;  that  he 
knows  now  that  an  uncontrollable  impulse 
which  came  from  a  great,  great  love  is  not 
real  crime  ;  and  yet — "  She  made  a  pause 
for  a  moment,  her  face  set  hard,  although 
the  tears  stood  big  in  her  eyes,  before  she 
320 


Mills  of  God 

went  on  slowly  :  "  I  know  for  myself  how 
nearly  akin  to  crime  is  self-indulgence,  and 
that  the  breeding  of  all  crimes  is  in  the 
lack  of  self-control." 

The  next  day  my  lady  expressed  a  de- 
sire that  a  new  building  might  be  erected 
for  stores,  which  I  knew  was  but  her 
method  to  distract  her  own  thought ;  and, 
day  after  day,  she  stayed  with  the  men, 
directing  and  suggesting,  occupying  every 
moment,  so  that  none  were  left  for  idle 
sorrows,  and  showing  me  that  when  she 
said,  "  I  can  help  myself,"  she  was  indeed 
a  woman  of  her  word. 

It  was  in  the  weeks  following  that  we 
came  to  know  each  other  in  a  beauty  of 
friendship,  one  of  great  love  and  intimacy, 
which  lasted  till  she  left  the  world  desolate 
without  her. 

We  were,  in  all,  about  four  months  on 
the  island  before  we  were  enabled  to  make 
our  escape.  A  bark — the  City  of  Bristol, 
321 


Mills  of  God 

hailing  from  Bristol — was  engaged  in  gath- 
ering a  cargo  of  tobacco  along  the  coast, 
northward  from  Charleston.  The  weather 
being  fair,  she  stood  farther  in  to  the  shore 
than  usual,  to  save  distance,  and  in  the 
night  had  seen  our  signal-fire.  The  cap- 
tain, thinking  perchance  the  fire  was  kin- 
dled by  castaways,  lay  to  till  morning,  and 
then  sent  a  boat  close  in,  which  we  saw 
and  signalled. 

Never  was  greater  kindness  than  was 
shown  to  us,  and  five  days  later  we  were 
set  ashore  at  Newport  News.  There  was 
no  reason  now  why  we  should  not  return 
to  Deepdeen.  Sir  George  had  paid  his 
reckoning  in  full,  and  if  there  was  any 
which  I  still  owed,  I  preferred  to  return 
to  the  settlement  of  it  than  to  go  skulking 
off  to  England,  and  allow  my  lady  to  make 
the  desolate  journey  and  home-coming 
alone. 


322 


CHAPTER  XXI 

THE  little  town  of  Newport  News  was 
gay  with  the  sunshine  and  the  coming  in 
of  many  fishing  boats,  with  the  golden  light 
on  their  sails,  when  we  stepped  ashore 
from  the  City  of  Bristol  that  evening  in 
early  September.  I  found  some  decent 
accommodations  for  Lady  Elinor  and  Mrs. 
Hodgson  at  a  little  inn  called  "  The  Blue 
Lion,"  where  they  were  able  to  pass  the 
night,  so  that  I  might  have  time  to  make 
the  necessary  arrangements  for  taking 
them  up  the  river ;  besides  which  there 
were  many  purchases  to  be  made  of  things 
in  which  they  stood  greatly  in  need. 

My  lady  had,  with  the  generosity  which 
she  ever  showed — which  was,  as  she  herself 
323 


Mills  of  God 

often  said,  in  a  great  part  mere  careless- 
ness— invited  the  captain  and  his  men,  who 
were  without  a  ship  of  their  own,  to  come 
to  Deepdeen  for  a  while  ;  what  she  was 
going  to  do  with  this  crew  of  drunken 
sailors  after  she  had  them  there  never  en- 
tered her  mind.  She  was  forever  doing 
things  like  this,  and  leaving  me  to  take  the 
consequences.  Not  that  I  would  have  had 
her  changed  in  this  matter.  There  was 
something  peculiarly  feminine  and  charm- 
ing in  the  heedlessness  with  which  she 
gave ;  but  I  think  there  was  never  any 
other  on  earth  who  had  less  knowledge  of 
the  value  of  money  or  things,  or  less  sense 
in  taking  care  of  them. 

Never  had  Deepdeen  looked  more  beau- 
tiful than  it  did  as  we  came  to  a  full  view 
of  it  from  the  river  on  the  following  day. 
The  house  stood  out  gray  and  impressive 
against  the  sky,  the  grounds  were  a  riot  of 
colour,  and  the  haze  of  autumn  covered 
324 


Mills  of  God 

everything  with  a  great  softness  and  draw- 
ing together. 

My  lady  walked  beside  me  as  we  came 
up  the  path.  She  wore  a  long  black  cloak 
and  wide  beaver  hat,  which  she  had  pur- 
chased at  Newport  News,  and  I  remem- 
ber well  that  the  fatality  of  air  which 
was  hers  from  birth,  showed  never  more 
marked  than  at  this  moment.  She  stopped 
to  gather  some  late  roses  of  a  kind  of  which 
she  had  always  been  fond,  when  Lord  Bed- 
ford turned  into  the  carriage  way  from  the 
direction  of  the  stables.  He  was  bare- 
headed, and  wore  the  black  which  ever  be- 
came him  so  well,  carrying  himself  with  a 
great  jauntiness  of  manner.  He  looked, 
as  he  ever  did,  handsome  and  distinguished 
in  the  extreme. 

His  surprise  at  seeing  us  was  great,  and 

I  make  sure  not  all  pleasurable ;  but,  as  he 

saw  Elinor  Grafton's  pale  face,  there  came 

some  real  solicitude  for  her  in  his  manner, 

22  325 


Mills  of  God 

and  he  expressed  pleasure  at  our  safe  re- 
turn. There  had  been  little  anxiety  about 
us  in  the  family,  it  being  thought  that  we 
were  safely  arrived  in  England  months 
before. 

My  lady's  manner  toward  Lord  Bedford 
was  curious  to  note.  It  had  something  in  it, 
always,  of  a  mother's  tolerance  of  a  spoiled 
child  ;  but  now  there  was  the  remembrance 
of  a  great  sorrow  held  ever  in  her  look. 

I  heard  him  inquire  about  the  safety  of 
George,  to  which  my  lady  replied,  in  a 
level  voice : 

"  He  is  safe." 

"And  well?"  Lord  Bedford  asked. 

"  And  well,"  she  answered — just  those 
words,  and  no  more. 

The  house  servants  came  running  out 
to  greet  us  with  hearty  smiles  and  tears. 
Miss  Anne,  looking  unchanged  by  her  ill- 
ness, came  down  the  steps  toward  us,  her 
whole  face  beaming  with  delight. 
326 


Mills  of  God 

"  Do  you  know,"  she  asked,  "  that  you 
have  come  back  just  in  time  ?  To-morrow 
is  my  wedding  day.  Aunt  Dulany  spoke 
for  you  in  allowing  us  the  use  of  Deep- 
deen,  as  we  didn't  know  where  to  write  you 
to  ask  for  your  permission.  I  think,"  she 
went  on,  putting  her  arm  around  my  lady, 
"that  I  never  was  so  happy  before  in 
my  life." 

Lady  Elinor  dined  with  the  family  that 
night.  She  felt,  she  told  me  afterward, 
that  there  might  be  some  thought  in  Lord 
Bedford's  mind  of  her  grieving  over  the 
marriage  if  she  absented  herself.  No  one 
was  present  save  ourselves,  Lord  Bedford, 
and  Dr.  Prout,  who,  as  the  years  went  by, 
became  ever  more  one  of  the  family.  He 
gave  forth,  as  his  opinion,  that  nothing 
further  need  be  feared  from  the  authorities, 
as  Miss  Anne  had  entirely  recovered  ;  and 
that  the  whole  thing  was,  in  his  judgment, 
by  with  forever.  During  the  dinner  Lord 
327 


Mills  of  God 

Bedford  was  silent  and  ill  at  ease.  My 
lady,  however,  was  self-contained  and  inter- 
ested in  the  coming  wedding.  She  spoke 
to  him  when  necessary,  avoiding  neither 
his  glance  nor  his  speech.  She  discussed 
the  details  of  the  preparations  and  the 
guests  expected,  and  'twas  but  once,  when 
some  mention  was  made  of  using  Master 
George's  rooms  for  one  of  the  guests,  that 
I  saw  her  lips  drawn  together  and  a  gleam 
in  her  eyes,  which  betrayed  the  anger  she 
usually  was  so  capable  of  concealing. 

The  whole  household  was  bestirring  it- 
self early  the  next  morning.  It  had  been 
clear  daybreak  before  I  closed  my  eyes  to 
sleep,  my  whole  heart  being  with  the  dear 
woman  who  had  a  trial  set  for  her  in  the 
oncoming  day,  such  as  few  have  ever  been 
called  upon  to  bear.  She  was  in  the  break- 
fast-room as  I  entered  ;  there  were  flowers 
all  around  her — chrysanthemums,  asters, 
golden-rod,  bracken  fern,  pile  upon  pile — 
328 


Mills  of  God 

and  she  was  giving  some  hurried  orders  to 
the  servants. 

As  her  eyes  met  mine  when  she  bade 
me  "  Good-morning,"  my  fear  for  her  fled. 
The  thing  would  be  done ;  it  would  be 
splendidly  done ;  here  would  be  neither 
falterings  nor  hesitation  ;  the  joy  that  I 
felt  in  the  greatness  of  her  made  the  blood 
tingle  in  my  veins,  as  when  armies  march 
by  in  the  sunlight. 

"  We  are  needing  you  greatly,  Robin," 
she  said  ;  "  a  wedding  should  ever  be  merry. 
Anne  must  have  it  as  it  should  be.  Come 
and  help  us  with  the  ball-room." 

All  the  morning  Lady  Elinor  gave  to 
the  decorating,  suggesting,  planning,  re- 
membering details  which  others  had  over- 
looked, stopping  in  to  break  the  tedium 
of  the  time  for  Madame  Dulany,  who  was 
confined  to  her  bed  (either  by  disposition 
or  indisposition),  overlooking  the  wedding 
gown,  which  in  all  its  white  wonder  was 
329 


Mills  of  God 

lying  ready,  forgetting  nothing,  best  of  all 
remembering  nothing,  and  acting  as  she 
ever  did  in  a  manner  which  lay  above  the 
power  of  most  of  us. 

By  noon — the  wedding  being  set  for 
four — she  was  dressed  and  ready  to  receive 
her  guests.  By  reason  of  her  recent  be- 
reavements, the  gown  she  wore  was  of 
black — some  long,  soft,  trailing  thing  which 
made  her  look  more  impressive  than  I 
had  ever  seen  her  at  any  time.  She  wore 
no  ornament  of  any  kind,  not  even  her 
wedding  ring,  if  such  a  thing  can  be  called 
a  mere  ornament,  for  this  she  had  re- 
moved the  day  of  Sir  William's  death, 
nor  did  I  ever  see  it  upon  her  hand  after- 
ward. 

It  was  little  past  the  high  tide  of  the 
day  when  the  coaches  began  to  arrive,  their 
fair  occupants,  in  bewildering  attire,  mak- 
ing merry  with  jests  and  gay  laughter,  as 
became  wedding  guests.  From  far  and 
330 


Mills  of  God 

near  over  the  country-side  they  came, 
quite  a  number  having  been  entertained 
overnight  at  Fairfax  House  as  Lord  Bed- 
ford's guests. 

Father  Spofford,  grown  very  gray  and 
stooped,  was  to  perform  the  ceremony.  I 
saw  him  take  Lady  Elinor  aside  and  speak 
to  her  just  before  the  wedding  pair  came 
in,  saw  that  she  nodded  as  one  does  who 
has  complete  comprehension  of  the  thing 
spoken  of,  and  noted  no  more. 

It  was  just  upon  the  hour  when  Miss 
Anne  and  Lord  Bedford  entered  together. 
The  man  carried  a  kind  of  splendour  about 
him,  every  line  of  his  handsome  face — and 
hate  him  as  I  have  ever  done,  I  have  never 
been  able  to  deny  that  he  was  a  handsome 
man — softened  by  love  or  by  what  he 
thought  was  love,  which  to  a  nicer  nomen- 
clature was,  to  my  thinking,  mere  passion. 
He  wore  a  full  court  dress  of  white,  with 
his  own  hair,  and  so  covered  Miss  Anne 
331 


Mills  of  God 

with  his  eyes,  which  had  in  them  a  curious 
light,  as  though  they  beckoned  her,  that  all 
the  ladies  nodded  approvingly  and  whis- 
pered words  among  themselves  of  admira- 
tion for  such  an  ardent  lover.  Miss  Anne, 
young  and  beautiful,  fearless  of  the  future, 
spoke  her  vows  with  no  tremor  of  the 
voice,  but  gladly,  rapturously  gave  herself 
into  the  keeping  of  this  man,  who  never, 
since  my  return  to  Deepdeen,  had  once 
looked  me  in  the  eye.  It  was  bitter  to  him 
that  I  was  there.  I  knew  it,  and  stood  well 
in  the  light. 

The  past  was  whirling  through  my  head 
as  I  listened  to  the  solemn  words  of  the 
marriage  service.  I  remembered  the  night 
of  the  birth  of  Master  George ;  the  little 
hut  where  we  had  stood  together ;  I  won- 
dered of  what  Miss  Anne  was  thinking; 
remembered  the  joy  we  had  felt  at  landing 
on  that  sad  little  island ;  but  there  was 
neither  continuity  nor  result  in  these 
332 


Mills  of  God 

thoughts.     Father  Spofford  paused  a  mo- 
ment, and  then— 

"Who  giveth  this  woman  to  this  man?" 
he  asked,  and  my  lady,  who  was  standing 
a  little  apart,  came  slowly  forward.  There 
was  a  yellow  shaft  of  the  afternoon  sun 
which  had  struck  into  the  room  and  made 
a  pathway  for  her  as  she  came.  She  took 
Miss  Anne's  hand  in  hers,  and,  placing  it 
in  Henry  Bedford's,  in  a  voice  low  and 
firm,  solemnly  said,  "  I  do " ;  and  as  she 
came  back  to  her  place  beside  me — I  swear 
it  solemnly  on  my  honour — there  was  a 
smile  upon  her  lips,  as  if  Life's  grim  hu- 
mour had  for  the  while  overcome  her  sor- 
row, and  she  smiled  at  the  Ways  of  Men. 


333 


CHAPTER  XXII 

THE  following  winter  Lady  Elinor  was 
noticeably  fading.  There  was  little  of  the 
time,  in  which  it  was  possible  for  me  to  be 
with  her,  that  I  was  far  away — Madame 
Dulany's  death  about  Christmas  time  being 
another  reason  which  made  her  ever  the 
more  dependent  on  me.  I  knew  the  end 
was  coming,  and  strove  to  leave  nothing 
undone  which  might  cause  me  the  anguish 
which  follows  any  neglect,  real  or  fancied, 
of  the  ones  we  loved  when  they  have  passed 
away. 

It  was  in  the  second  November  after 

the  marriage  that  the  English  mail  brought 

us  news  of  the  birth  of  a  son  to  Henry, 

sixth  Lord  of  Bedford,  and  the  Lady  Anne, 

334 


Mills  of  God 

his  wife,  the  child  to  be  christened  Henry 
Francis  St.  Martin.  Lady  Elinor  read  the 
news  in  a  letter  from  the  Lady  Anne  her- 
self, who  was  wild  with  delight,  and  handed 
it  to  me  without  comment ;  nor  did  she 
ever  speak  of  it  in  any  way  whatever, 
though  it  was  but  the  next  day  that  she 
sent  for  Mr.  Clay,  her  lawyer,  and  made 
the  will  which  left  everything  of  which  she 
died  possessed  to  the  child  of  her  "  beloved 
cousin,  Anne,  wife  to  Henry  Bedford, 
Lord  of,"  etc.  Everything  except  Deep- 
deen.  "  For  services  too  rare  to  admit  of 
compensation  in  any  material  way,  but  as  a 
slight  token  of  the  love  in  which  he  was 
ever  held  by  Sir  William  and  myself,  Deep- 
deen,  the  outbuildings,  etc.,  to  go  to  Robin 
Killduff  MacLaren,  to  revert  to  his  heirs 
or  to  be  disposed  of,  at  his  death,  in  any 
manner  which  suiteth  him  best." 

In   May   she  died,  this  fairest  woman 
who  ever  lived.     Of  those  last  days  I  can 
335 


Mills  of  God 

not  write.  She  was  my  world.  I  saw  her 
fading  before  me.  Thank  God — oh,  how 
I  thank  my  God  for  that — there  was  little 
pain  !  That  I  never  could  have  borne.  I 
had  felt,  too,  a  kind  of  joy  in  the  thought 
that  in  the  end  I  should  be  alone  with  her ; 
that  she  would  know  how  true  I  had  been  ; 
but  it  was  not  to  be.  Toward  morning  her 
mind  wandered. 

"  God  is  good,  Harry,"  she  said.  "  Oh, 
the  peace  of  having  you  with  me  again  ! " 
And  later  her  face  was  illumined  by  a  smile 
the  angels  wear  as  she  said,  "  It  is  a  boy — 
a  man  child  ! " 

Toward  daybreak  she  spoke  once  more, 
quite  clearly,  "  An  I  dream  what  I  would, 
I  pray  to  sleep  forever,"  and  the  dark 
waters  closed  over  her  and  she  passed  to 
the  Dear  Place  where  she  shall  be  judged 
by  that  One  in  whom  there  is  no  variable- 
ness nor  shadow  of  turning. 

And  I — there  is  naught  ahead  for  me 

336 


of  God 


except  to  wait  to  join  her.     Sometimes  I 

wonder  if,  up  There I  will  not  set 

it  down. 

Meantime  I  can  say  only  as  I  said  the 
night  of  the  beginning  of  this  all.  It  is  of 
Elinor  Grafton  I  think.  It  is  of-  Elinor 
Grafton  I  am  always  thinking,  and  shall  be 
when  the  light  of  this  world  fades  before 
my  dying  eyes,  and  the  light  of  a  better 
one,  please  God,  shall  dawn  before  my  re- 
awakened spirit. 

(O 


THE    END 


337 


"A  beautiful  romance  of  the  days  of  Robert  Burns." 

Nancy  Stair. 

A  Novel.  By  ELINOR  MACARTNEY  LANE,  author 
of  *'  Mills  of  God."  Illustrated.  I2mo.  Cloth,  $1.50. 

"  With  very  much  the  grace  and  charm  of  Robert  Louis 
Stevenson,  the  author  of  *  The  Life  of  Nancy  Stair '  com- 
bines  unusual  gifts  of  narrative,  characterization,  color,  and 
humor.  She  has  also  delicacy,  dramatic  quality,  and  that 
rare  gift — historic  imagination. 

"  *  The  Life  of  Nancy  Stair '  is  interesting  from  the  first 
sentence  to  the  last ;  the  characters  are  vital  and  are,  also, 
most  entertaining  company;  the  denouement  unexpected 
and  picturesque  and  cleverly  led  up  to  from  one  of  the 
earliest  chapters;  the  story  moves  swiftly  and  without  a 
hitch.  Robert  Burns  is  neither  idealized  nor  caricatured ; 
Sandy,  Jock,  Pitcairn,  Danvers  Carmichael,  and  the  Duke 
of  Borthewicke  are  admirably  relieved  against  each  other, 
and  Nancy  herself  as  irresistible  as  she  is  natural.  To  be 
sure,  she  is  a  wonderful  child,  but  then  she  manages  to 
make  you  believe  she  was  a  real  one.  Indeed,  reality  and 
naturalness  are  two  of  the  charms  of  a  story  that  both 
reaches  the  heart  and  engages  the  mind,  and  which  can 
scarcely  fail  to  make  for  itself  a  large  audience.  A  great 
deal  of  delightful  talk  and  interesting  incidents  are  used  for 
the  development  of  the  story.  Whoever  reads  it  will  advise 
everybody  he  knows  to  read  it ;  and  those  who  do  not  care 
for  its  literary  quality  cannot  escape  the  interest  of  a  love- 
story  full  of  incident  and  atmosphere.'* 

14  Powerfully  and  attractively  written." — Pittsbitrg  Pott. 
14  A  story  best  described  with  the  word  '  charming.' " 

—  Washington  Post. 

D.    APPLETON    AND    COMPANY,    NEW    YORK. 


A  POWERFUL  NEW  NOVEL  BY  GEORGE  MOORL 

"  George  Moore  is  the  greatest  literary  artist  <o>ho  has  struck 
the  cords  of  English  since  Thackeray." 

— Prof.  HARRY  THURSTON  PECK. 

The  Lake. 

Cloth,  $1.50. 

"  '  The  Lake '  is  a  work  of  art,  a  prose  poem  embroidered  in  psycho- 
logical colors,  a  mirror  of  realism  reflecting  the  soul  struggle  of  the 
priest  who  by  a  slow  intellectual  process  is  brought  face  to  face  with  the 
meaning  of  life.  It  is  as  far  above  the  average  fiction  of  the  hour  as 
the  sun-kissed  mountain  peaks  are  above  the  hum-drum  valleys." 

— St.  Paul  Pioneer-Press. 

"  The  style  has  the  simplicity  and  transparency  that  betoken  the 
accomplished  craftsman  in  words  and  the  author's  feeling  for  nature  is 
expressed  as  admirably  as  his  feelings  for  art  and  life.  We  doubt  if 
Mr.  Moore  has  ever  done  a  better  piece  of  writing." — The  Dial. 

"  This  novel  with  its  delicate  symbolism,  its  original  style  of  presen- 
tation, its  gray-green  coloring,  and  its  subtle  psychologizing,  recalls  a 
modern  symphonic  poem.  The  style  is  most  musical,  fitting  the  theme 
glove-like.  Event  glides  into  event  without  a  jar  ;  the  illusion  is  never 
shivered  by  awkward  chapter-ends  or  conventional  sequences  of  action. 
The  writer  is  a  master  of  his  material  as  well  as  a  prober  of  the  human 
heart." — JAMES  HUNEKER  in  the  New  York  Times. 

BY  THE  SAME  AUTHOR. 

Evelyn  Innes. 

Cloth,  $1.50. 

"  The  marvelously  artistic  analysis  of  the  inner  life  of  this  remark- 
able woman  exercises  a  peculiar  fascination  for  cultivated  people.  .  .  . 
It  seems  as  if  one  could  pass  over  no  single  sentence  without  losing 
something.  .  .  .  The  appeal  of  the  book  is  to  the  class  of  people  best 
worth  writing  for,  cultivated,  intellectual  people,  who  can  appreciate 
something  better  than  the  commonplace  stories  which  invariably  come 
out  right.  Its  literary  quality  is  high  ;  there  are  very  fine  things  about 
it,  and  one  feels  that  '  Evelyn  Innes '  is  the  work  of  a  master." 

— Boston  Herald. 

D.     APPLETON     AND     COMPANY,     NEW     YORK. 


University  of  California 

SOUTHERN  REGIONAL  LIBRARY  FACILITY 

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LOS  ANGELES,  CALIFORNIA  90095-1388 

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